Jul 20, 2024 08:00:00

Colonel Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, complained about the poor quality of the chicken.

In a September 1976 issue of The New York Times, an article was published about Colonel Harland David Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). The article mentioned that after leaving the company to become an advisor, Sanders had suddenly visited a KFC store and complained that the chicken tasted terrible.

“For the Colonel, It Was Finger-Lickin’ Bad”

https://kottke.org/16/08/for-the-colonel-it-was-fingerlickin-bad

Colonel Sanders, who built KFC restaurants all over the country through successful franchises, sold the company to an investment firm in 1964 and continued to work for the company as an advisor for a while. However, he did not like the taste of some of the stores, and the New York Times described his visit to a KFC in Manhattan as follows:

One day in September 1976, New York Times food critic Mimi Sheraton and Colonel Sanders stopped by a KFC in Manhattan. After waving to a few customers, Colonel Sanders walked into the kitchen, approached a pot of deep-frying chicken, and announced the following:

'It should be golden brown. It's been fried for 12 minutes, which is 6 minutes longer. And the oil should have been changed a week ago. I've never seen such awful fried chicken. Let me see the mashed potatoes and gravy. How do you make that?'

The chef explained to Colonel Sanders, 'First you mix instant potato powder with boiling water,' to which Colonel Sanders responded, 'Then you make wallpaper paste. Then you add brown gravy and it becomes mushy. There's no way I could swallow these potatoes. And this coleslaw. This coleslaw! They don't listen to me. You have to use

Miracle Whip . Anything else will turn grey. You have to put nothing in it but cabbage. No carrots!'

by shadle

In addition to this, Colonel Sanders also seemed to be dissatisfied with the existing franchise. In one interview, Colonel Sanders said the following:

'That gravy is awful. They buy tap water for 15 to 20 cents a thousand gallons and mix it with flour and starch to make wallpaper paste. I know what wallpaper paste is because I saw my mother make it. They add sludge to the wallpaper paste and sell it for 65 or 75 cents a pint. It has no nutritional value so they shouldn't sell it. And one more thing - that new crispy chicken is nothing more than a doughnut ball stuck on top of chicken.'

After making the above statement, Colonel Sanders was sued by a franchisee.

Colonel Sanders, who lived until 1980, also appeared on television shows, and you can see and hear his voice on YouTube and other sites.

What's My Line? Colonel Sanders - YouTube