“It’s finger lickin’ good!” Ring a bell? It was the most popular slogan for the fast-food chain known as Kentucky Fried Chicken. Here are 10 unique facts everyone should know about the franchise and its history.

Fact #1:

During the Great Depression in the 1930s, Colonel Harland Sanders served fried chicken at a gas station he owned in North Corbin, Kentucky. He named his restaurant “Sanders Court and Café.”

Fact #2:

Although Colonel Sanders began selling his famous chicken in 1929, he actually founded Kentucky Fried Chicken as a franchise in 1952 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Fact #3:

Colonel Sanders’ restaurant was so successful that in 1936, Kentucky Governor Ruby Laffoon named Sanders the “Kentucky Colonel.”

Fact #4:

In 1964, Colonel Sanders sold the Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise for $2 million USD.

Fact #5:

Colonel Sanders’ original handwritten recipe is located in a secret locked room at KFC’s main headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky. In fact, the recipe is so secretive that only 2 company executives have the key to the room where it’s located. KFC also uses multiple suppliers to prevent any single supplier from having the complete ingredients list for the chicken spices.

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Fact #6:

Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy’s, was actually the same person who created KFC. It was also Thomas who came up with the idea of placing chicken into a paper bucket. He stated that the bucket kept the chicken fresh and crispy.

Fact #7:

Believe it or not, Dave Thomas owned several KFC buildings in Columbus, Ohio. I assume he either worked together with Sanders, or licensed the rights to him after initially developing the idea.

Fact #8:

In the past, KFC was criticized for the high amounts of trans fat used in their products. As we know, trans fat is the main cause leading up to heart disease. Therefore, near the end of 2006, KFC began frying its chicken and potato wedges in oil containing less than 1% of trans fat. However, the company stated that it would not use trans-fat-free oil for its biscuits, macaroni and cheese, and mashed potatoes. Well, at least it’s a start.

Fact #9:

In 2006, KFC created a logo made up of 65,000 square tiles. The company claimed that it could be seen from space. Honestly, what are we trying to do? Let aliens know they can stop at KFC on the journey to their home planet?

Fact #10:

Many KFC buildings are shared with Long John Silver’s, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and A&W. In these cases, the buildings offer a single menu, with food items from both restaurants.

Closing Remarks

And those are 10 unique facts that you may or may not have known about the Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise. Personally, I don’t eat at KFC as much as I used to in the past, because of their constant price raising. In Canada, it’s now common to see KFC selling their 3-piece chicken meal for around $7.99, when a few years ago, it was only $2.99.