---
title: "Wall Street Journal: Iconic Franchises - Then And Now"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/781d7ee6-89fe-4dd4-8178-6b1061c92459
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/wall-street-journal-iconic-franchises-then-and-now-7922
category: "Franchisors"
industry: "Franchise Industry"
segment: "Franchisors"
published: 2016-11-22T14:09:01.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T13:27:29.183Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/e6b194dfe0575874db8bb7c7079b8b317174.jpg
---

# Wall Street Journal: Iconic Franchises - Then And Now

**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.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2016-11-22. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/wall-street-journal-iconic-franchises-then-and-now-7922).*

## Story

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.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Franchise Industry (sector)
- McDonald's (company)
- KFC (company)
- Dunkin' Donuts (company)
- franchise history (topic)
- kfc origins (topic)
- dunkin donuts origins (topic)
- mcdonald's origins (topic)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/wall-street-journal-iconic-franchises-then-and-now-7922). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/781d7ee6-89fe-4dd4-8178-6b1061c92459).