TL;DR
The Wall Street Journal examined the origins of iconic franchises, including KFC and Dunkin' Donuts. KFC was founded by Harland Sanders, who began selling franchises after his business was affected by the introduction of the interstate.
Ever wonder how franchise industry titans got their start? The Wall Street Journal dug into some major franchise’s histories and shared these entrepreneurs’ often humble beginnings.
KFC
In 1940, Harland Sanders opened a gas station, motel and restaurant called Sanders Court and Cafe in Corbin, Kentucky. Due to the introduction of the interstate and the highway being rerouted, Sanders began losing business. Rather than watch his business dwindle, he began selling franchises, charging a nickel for each piece of chicken the franchisees sold.
KFC now has 154 stores in 11 states, including the original Corbin location.
Dunkin Donuts
In the early 1900s, William Rosenburg sold coffee, pastries and sandwiches to factory workers out of his small restaurant in Quincy, Massachusetts. When Rosenburg realized a majority of his sales were coffee and doughnuts, he decided to call his business Dunkin Donuts.
To make the most of his doughnut sales, he began offering 52 varieties, rather than the four that most doughnut shops offered at the time.
McDonald’s
Brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald opened a small hamburger restaurant in San Bernardino, California in 1948. Originally, they sold only hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chips and soda. Quickly, they swapped out the chips for french fries and added milkshakes to the menu.
Their first franchise was opened in Phoenix in 1953. The original Bernardino location is now a museum.
In this story
This story was originally published in 1851 Franchise on November 22, 2016. Burnaze summarizes and links to the original reporting.
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