Harland Sanders Café and Museum
Encyclopedia
The Harland Sanders Café is a historic restaurant located in North Corbin, Kentucky
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Harland Sanders, the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, operated the restaurant from 1940-1956. Sanders also developed the famous KFC secret recipe at the café during the 1940s. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
on August 7, 1990.
across the street from the present location of the Harland Sanders Café along U.S. Route 25
. Sanders served meals for travelers in the back of the service station at his own dining table, which seated six people. By 1937, the culinary skills of Sanders became well known and he built the Sanders Café, which seated 142 people. Two years later, the restaurant was destroyed by fire.
Shortly after the fire in 1939, construction began on the present Sanders Café, along with the addition of a motel
. The restaurant-motel complex reopened on July 4, 1940. A new addition to the café was a model of a motel room located in the adjacent Sanders' Motel. This was used to persuade customers to spend the night at the motel.
Business continued to boom as it was located along U.S. 25, the main north-south route through central Kentucky. This soon changed with the completion of Interstate 75
, which bypassed the restaurant and city entirely. Sanders sold the café in 1956 and began selling franchises for KFC.
The Harland Sanders Café was renovated and reopened in the fall of 1990 as a museum. A modern KFC was also built adjacent to the café. While at the museum, visitors can tour the office of Harland Sanders, see the kitchen where Sanders developed the KFC secret formula, and view KFC memorabilia.
North Corbin, Kentucky
North Corbin is a census-designated place in Knox and Laurel counties in the U.S. state of Kentucky. The population was 1,662 at the 2000 census....
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Kentucky colonel
Kentucky colonel is the highest title of honor bestowed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Commissions for Kentucky colonels are given by the Governor and the Secretary of State to individuals in recognition of noteworthy accomplishments and outstanding service to a community, state or the nation...
Harland Sanders, the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, operated the restaurant from 1940-1956. Sanders also developed the famous KFC secret recipe at the café during the 1940s. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on August 7, 1990.
History
After moving to North Corbin in 1930, Sanders started a service stationFilling station
A filling station, also known as a fueling station, garage, gasbar , gas station , petrol bunk , petrol pump , petrol garage, petrol kiosk , petrol station "'servo"' in Australia or service station, is a facility which sells fuel and lubricants...
across the street from the present location of the Harland Sanders Café along U.S. Route 25
U.S. Route 25
U.S. Route 25 is a north–south United States highway that runs for from Brunswick, Georgia to the Ohio state line in Covington, Kentucky.-Georgia:...
. Sanders served meals for travelers in the back of the service station at his own dining table, which seated six people. By 1937, the culinary skills of Sanders became well known and he built the Sanders Café, which seated 142 people. Two years later, the restaurant was destroyed by fire.
Motel
A motor hotel, or motel for short, is a hotel designed for motorists, and usually has a parking area for motor vehicles...
. The restaurant-motel complex reopened on July 4, 1940. A new addition to the café was a model of a motel room located in the adjacent Sanders' Motel. This was used to persuade customers to spend the night at the motel.
Business continued to boom as it was located along U.S. 25, the main north-south route through central Kentucky. This soon changed with the completion of Interstate 75
Interstate 75
Interstate 75 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Ontario, Canada, border...
, which bypassed the restaurant and city entirely. Sanders sold the café in 1956 and began selling franchises for KFC.
The Harland Sanders Café was renovated and reopened in the fall of 1990 as a museum. A modern KFC was also built adjacent to the café. While at the museum, visitors can tour the office of Harland Sanders, see the kitchen where Sanders developed the KFC secret formula, and view KFC memorabilia.