KFC HISTORY
There are few success stories in the American business world equal to that of the late Colonel Harland D. Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Colonel Sanders developed Kentucky Fried Chicken in 1953 in the kitchen of his small restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky. The colonel's special cooking process and seasoning of 11 herbs and spices was so revolutionary that, not to be confused with ordinary southern fried chicken, he decided to call it Kentucky Fried Chicken.
He did not franchise his delicious chicken until 1956, when at the age of 66 he was forced to sell his business due to a new interstate highway that would bypass his restaurant. Realizing what great possibilities his product could have on a larger market, he took his car, a couple of pressure cookers, and a bag of seasoning all over the country offering his knowledge of cooking Kentucky Fried Chicken to restaurant operators. Pete Harman of Salt Lake City was actually the first KFC franchisee. His sales almost tripled in his first year of serving Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Today, Kentucky Fried Chicken is the leader in the chicken segment of the Quick Service Restaurant Industry. Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants are located all over the world.
TACO BELL HISTORY
1954 Glen Bell and a partner opened three Taco Tia outlets in San Bernardino, California. Soon Bell's tacos were outselling his hamburgers. When he wanted to expand to Los Angeles his business partner refused to go along with Bell. So Bell sold his interest in Taco Tia. With new business partners he launched another chain, El Taco. The first outlet opened in 1958 in Long Beach, California. He sold his share in El Taco to his business partners in 1962.
Glen Bell was impressed by the original McDonald's restaurants but rather than compete head-on for the hamburger trade, he applied the new industrial techniques to a separate market segment, Mexican American food.
In 1962, Bell opened his first Taco Bell restaurant in Downey, California. He targeted students, traveling salesmen and the military. The menu consisted mainly of Tacos and Burritos plus beverages. Two years later, the first Taco Bell franchise was sold.
By 1978 Taco Bell had 868 restaurants which specialized in selling Tacos, Burritos and a few other food items. In 1978 PepsiCo acquired Taco Bell in a deal valued at $148 million. At the end of 1980 Taco Bell had 1333 outlets and was rapidly expanding.
In the mid 1980's, Taco Bell dominated the quick service restaurant industry with new products and a fresh new image. In 1988, Taco Bell introduced the Value Strategy: Giving the guest what they want - the best taste, price, quality and convenience. In 1997 Taco Bell was spun off from PepsiCo and is now a division a Yum! Brands, Inc., which also owns KFC and Pizza Hut. In 2010 Taco Bell opened its first international restaurant in the United Kingdom.
Taco Bell food is available in thousands of locations including schools, grocery stores and airports. By providing value and quality to the guest by creating loyal guest and highly committed and talented employees.
A&W HISTORY
One hot day in June of 1919 in Lodi, California an entreprenuer named Roy Allen mixed up a batch of creamy root beer and sold his first frosty mug of this delightful beverage. He sold it for a nickel. Later, he purchased the formula for his root beer from a pharmacist in Arizona. To this day, the unique blend of herbs, spices, barks and berries remains a proprietary secret.
With the success of his first root beer stand in Lodi, Allen soon opened a second stand in nearby Sacramento, California. It was there that what is thought to be the country's first "drive-in" opened featuring "tray-boys" who delivered curb side service.
In 1922, Allen took on a partner, Frank Wright, an employee from his original Lodi location. The two partners combined their initials; “A” for Allen and “W” for Wright, and formally named their beverage, “A&W Root Beer®”. They opened three units in Sacramento. More units were opened in northern and central California and in the states of Texas and Utah. Now, more than seventy years later, A&W Root Beer® is the world’s number one selling root beer and is still mixed fresh daily and sold in hundreds of A&W® restaurants.