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If you want the real thing you have to go to the restaurant named after his wife: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudia_Sanders_Dinner_House https://en.wikiped

If you want the real thing you have to go to the restaurant named after his wife: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudia_Sanders_Dinner_House https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudia_Sanders_Dinner_House

e40 2y ago
Went there as a kid. Can confirm it was insanely good.
- nunez 2y ago
  apparently it burned down in four hours in 1999, but not before the Sanders sold that restaurant.
  - bdowling 2y ago
    So who got the insurance payout? The buyer?
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
wkat4242 2y ago
Huh interesting. I always thought he was a military retired Colonel and as such already pretty rich before he started the franchise. I had no idea it was also a Honorary title in America.
- djur 2y ago
  US military used to be largely made up of state militias (dating back to colonial days), run by the governor, with the federal government sometimes funding, equipping, and mobilizing those militias in times of war. Commissions in state militias were sometimes used by governors as a reward or gift to their political supporters. In particular, "colonel" was a rank often bestowed on wealthy benefactors without any expectation of actual military duty. The militias were largely nationalized in the early 1900s, creating what's now called the National Guard. Governors still have limited power to deploy their state Guard but they're mostly under federal control. But some states retained the tradition of honorary colonels, and Kentucky is probably the most famous. (There are a lot of other kind of goofy honorary state militia titles in the US -- Admiral of the Texas Navy, etc. Some of them don't require much more than paying a fee.)
  - WorldMaker 2y ago
    Kentucky became famous for it because it did immediately stop being an militia title in every way. A charitable foundation was setup for using the title as a part of a charitable works program and several early Governors involved in that decided that it would be a useful idea to give the title to celebrities and other "ambassadors" to/from the commonwealth, making it as much a title to promote tourism as anything else. I think that's the fun ouroboros nature of Colonel Sanders' title in that he was made a Colonel for the predecessor to KFC. (The Sanders Cafe at his Standard Oil Gas Station was one of the first "Welcome to Kentucky" stops for early car travelers coming into Kentucky via the roads through the Cumberland Pass [I-75 today].) The Colonel of KFC was a Colonel because of KFC, just about.
winternett 2y ago
3 of the worst corporate decisions they made ever: 1. Getting rid of the BBQ pulled chicken sandwich - Long ago they had it and it was inexpensive to make and quite good. Many people to this day complain about no longer being able to find it anywhere. 2. Phasing out their grilled chicken - It was quite good, and people who wanted a healthier option than fried chicken, like me, simply don't go anymore because it's disappearing. 3. Merging with Taco Bell - The menu is far too big now, and Taco Bell items are lower in quality and cheaper. I think it's the final move to phase KFC out. When are people going to realize that telling customers what they want, reducing value and quality, and ignoring their complaints is not a good business model?
- utensil4778 2y ago
  > When are people going to realize that telling customers what they want, reducing value and quality, and ignoring their complaints is not a good business model? Just as soon as they realize that short-term immediate profit is not the only goal that any business could ever possibly have. Pretty much the day after never, or right after the collapse of capitalist society. Whichever comes first.

If you want the real thing you have to go to the restaurant named after his wife: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudia_Sanders_Dinner_House https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudia_Sanders_Dinner_House

e40 2y ago

Went there as a kid. Can confirm it was insanely good.

nunez 2y ago
apparently it burned down in four hours in 1999, but not before the Sanders sold that restaurant.
- bdowling 2y ago
  So who got the insurance payout? The buyer?

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

wkat4242 2y ago

Huh interesting. I always thought he was a military retired Colonel and as such already pretty rich before he started the franchise. I had no idea it was also a Honorary title in America.

djur 2y ago
US military used to be largely made up of state militias (dating back to colonial days), run by the governor, with the federal government sometimes funding, equipping, and mobilizing those militias in times of war. Commissions in state militias were sometimes used by governors as a reward or gift to their political supporters. In particular, "colonel" was a rank often bestowed on wealthy benefactors without any expectation of actual military duty. The militias were largely nationalized in the early 1900s, creating what's now called the National Guard. Governors still have limited power to deploy their state Guard but they're mostly under federal control. But some states retained the tradition of honorary colonels, and Kentucky is probably the most famous. (There are a lot of other kind of goofy honorary state militia titles in the US -- Admiral of the Texas Navy, etc. Some of them don't require much more than paying a fee.)
- WorldMaker 2y ago
  Kentucky became famous for it because it did immediately stop being an militia title in every way. A charitable foundation was setup for using the title as a part of a charitable works program and several early Governors involved in that decided that it would be a useful idea to give the title to celebrities and other "ambassadors" to/from the commonwealth, making it as much a title to promote tourism as anything else. I think that's the fun ouroboros nature of Colonel Sanders' title in that he was made a Colonel for the predecessor to KFC. (The Sanders Cafe at his Standard Oil Gas Station was one of the first "Welcome to Kentucky" stops for early car travelers coming into Kentucky via the roads through the Cumberland Pass [I-75 today].) The Colonel of KFC was a Colonel because of KFC, just about.

winternett 2y ago

3 of the worst corporate decisions they made ever: 1. Getting rid of the BBQ pulled chicken sandwich - Long ago they had it and it was inexpensive to make and quite good. Many people to this day complain about no longer being able to find it anywhere. 2. Phasing out their grilled chicken - It was quite good, and people who wanted a healthier option than fried chicken, like me, simply don't go anymore because it's disappearing. 3. Merging with Taco Bell - The menu is far too big now, and Taco Bell items are lower in quality and cheaper. I think it's the final move to phase KFC out. When are people going to realize that telling customers what they want, reducing value and quality, and ignoring their complaints is not a good business model?

utensil4778 2y ago
> When are people going to realize that telling customers what they want, reducing value and quality, and ignoring their complaints is not a good business model? Just as soon as they realize that short-term immediate profit is not the only goal that any business could ever possibly have. Pretty much the day after never, or right after the collapse of capitalist society. Whichever comes first.