KFC’s Birthplace Is Both Charming And Strange

When you’re planning your road trips or vacations, what do you want to see? Some of us (ie., me) want to cast our gaze upon an open ocean, watching the sun glitter off it, ideally with a margarita in one hand and a book in the other. Maybe a trip to a historical site or two, or a stroll around an old town thrown in there too. 

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Others, though, like to see where major franchises started life – and for those of you out there that feel this way (and don’t get me wrong, I also find stuff like this fascinating), there’s the Sanders Café & Museum in Corbin, Kentucky. For that is where you’ll find the story of the very first KFC, and where Colonel Harland David Sanders himself started it all. 

A Chain Is Born

Located in the Southeast of Kentucky, Corbin’s a small city of just under 8,000 – but its influence on modern food culture significantly outsizes its geographical size and population. It’s here that Harland Sanders started KFC’s story back in 1930 at a roadside gas station. The fried chicken franchise itself officially started in 1952 in Utah, but Corbin was the place it was born, and where Sanders perfected his secret blend of 11 herbs and spices.

If you visit Corbin today, a must-see (for KFC fans, at least) is the Sanders Café & Museum, the site of KFC’s first restaurant, which has been restored and placed on the National Register of Historical Places. Inside, you’ll be able to see a mock-up of the Sanders Café, complete with original tables and seating arrangements. You’ll also find, amongst other objects and oddities, one of Sanders’ original suits, preserved in a transparent case; a bust of the man himself; and a display of the history of the KFC bucket, showing designs throughout the years. It’s odd, it’s peculiar, and it’s weirdly comforting.  

A Piece Of Food History

KFC’s first location isn’t the only starting point of a food franchise that’s been preserved in history and open to visitors. Head to San Bernardino, and you can visit the site of the very first McDonald’s (which opened in 1940), which has also been converted into a free museum full of memorabilia. Here, you’ll be able to see some of the earliest versions of Ronald McDonald – which are utterly terrifying, it must be said. Think along the lines of Pennywise the Clown from Stephen King’s “It,” and you’ll get the idea. Ah, culture!