Harland Sanders Cafe & Museum – Corbin, KY

1 10 2009
  • 688 US Highway 25W
  • Corbin, KY 40701
  • (606) 528-2163
  • Website
  • Menu
Harland Sanders Cafe & Museum

Harland Sanders Cafe & Museum

Two chains in a row. I know what you’re thinking. And to make things worse…a KFC? Again, I know, BUT this isn’t just any KFC. It’s the original KFC. 

The Sanders Cafe & Museum is on US 25 West on the outskirts of Corbin, KY. It’s not in a highly developed area. It sits along a two lane road right next to a gas station. Ever since my first trip to the region in 2006, I’ve wanted to stop, but usually my travel companions aren’t as excited about it as I am. 

This time, I had J and I knew she would enjoy, so we pulled off the Interstate and followed the signs to chicken. 

From the outside, this place looks nothing like a KFC. If it wasn’t for the modern signs, it would be hard to even tell. Instead, it looks like the original cafe. The hotel and service station are long gone, but there is a lot left of the building that gave us Kentucky’s greatest gift.  Read the rest of this entry »

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You Can Be The Next Colonel

10 06 2009

I got this in an e-mail from KFC…

For more than 60 years, the image of Colonel Harland Sanders has represented Kentucky Fried Chicken. Now, along with online partner MySpace, KFC is embarking on a worldwide search to identify the new face of Kentucky Grilled Chicken (KGC).

Are you the ultimate KGC fan? Whether it’s an uncanny resemblance to the Colonel, the ability to create a sculpture made of Kentucky Grilled Chicken buckets, or a story about what KGC means to you, fans can submit their videos through July 7 at www.myspace.com/unthinkfc.

Three finalists will be selected and MySpace members will vote on the winner, who will receive Kentucky Grilled Chicken for life – valued at more than $13,000! In addition, the winner might even have the opportunity to participate in KGC marketing activities. Good luck, all you wannabe Colonels!





KFC Runs Out of Chicken?

7 05 2009

Not in Lansing this time, but still, I was at the South Cedar Street KFC a few weeks ago and they ran out of chicken they had on special.  This time, a New York City KFC runs out of grilled chicken after too many people come in with free coupons.

Customers at a New York City KFC hoping to redeem coupons for a free meal were disgruntled when the fast-food restaurant ran out of its new grilled chicken, but Internet rumors of a riot were unfounded, a Kentucky Fried Chicken spokeswoman said Wednesday. “Some customers were upset because they couldn’t get their chicken, but there was no riot,” said Laurie Schalow.

Schalow said the Manhattan restaurant on East 42nd Street plans to begin honoring the coupons again Thursday after it resupplies the kitchen.

[snip]

Schalow said the grilled chicken has been a huge success, and the combination of a bad economy and Oprah’s popularity created a “perfect storm.”

“We prepared for it,” Schalow said, noting that a KFC restaurant can only serve so many people during the lunch and dinner hours. “We didn’t prepare for this extreme.”

Really?!  You’re giving away FREE chicken…hell, a FREE meal and you’re surprised about how many people are coming in?  J printed out a couple of the coupons (there’s more than one KFC in the area) and so did her co-workers.  They all went for chicken Tuesday night and with a drink, she got more food than she could eat for less than three bucks.  I got ten e-mails from friends yesterday with the subject line “Lunch is on me” with a link to the coupon. 

I’m surprised it hasn’t happened at more places.





KFC Grilled Chicken

22 04 2009

Well, I didn’t plan on being home again last night, so I had nothing prepared for dinner.  Stupid rain screwing up my work schedule.  I started going through the cupboards to find food when J e-mailed me and said we should try KFC’s news grilled chicken.  It sounded good to me, so about a half hour before she’d be home for dinner, I headed to the KFC on South Cedar Street to pick up a bucket.

A fairly empty bucket of KFCs new grilled chicken

A fairly empty bucket of KFC's new grilled chicken

When I walked in, I was met by a clerk yelling from behind the counter that they were out of dark meat.  Yes, KFC, a chicken place, was out of chicken.  She just said they were out of original and extra crispy and didn’t say anything about the grilled chicken so I waited in line while a few other customers yelled at this poor girl for not having chicken.   I mean, really, it’s not her fault.  She’s not a manager.  She’s not a cook.  She was the poor girl who got stuck at the front register.  Apparently, KFC is running a special on an all dark meat bucket and they got swamped at dinner time and couldn’t keep up. 

When it was my turn to order, I asked if they had the grilled chicken.  She said she’d check and mistook that I wanted an all dark meat bucket.  She told me there wasn’t enough, but when I said I’d rather have the mixed bucket anyway, there was actually enough so I put in an order for the 8-piece meal which included two sides and biscuits.

I paid and waited for my chicken to come up and again, got the pleasure of seeing a number of @*&holes yell at this girl for something she had no control over.  Yeah, it sucks that you’re dinner plans just got ruined, but don’t be a jerk about it. 

Anyway, I grabbed my chicken then went home to wait for J.  I opened up the bucket and was a little disappointed.  It didn’t look anything like it does in the commercial.  The bucket was mostly empty.  At first, I thought I got shorted, but as I pulled the pieces out, I counted eight.  I didn’t get cheated, but the grilled chicken pieces are much smaller than the fried pieces.

A KFC grilled chicken breast

A KFC grilled chicken breast

While I was waiting for J, I ate the whole box of potato wedges which were much better than I remembered.  I felt bad about not waiting for J, but they were good and I was hungry.

When she finally did get home, we dug into the chicken.  It did have a nice grilled flavor, but it seemed a little greasy or slimy to me.  The size was the biggest disappointment.  I ate a whole breast in two bites.  J really liked it and didn’t seem to notice or mind the faults I found with it.  It’s definitely something we would order again, but it’s not going to replace fried chicken.  The healthier option is nice and I hope it sticks around, but it’d also be nice if they could find an efficient way to grill bigger pieces or, at the very least, charge a little bit less for the grilled chicken.  The two sides (I got potato wedges and mac ‘n cheese), biscuits (which are good, but not as good as Popeye’s) and eight pieces of chicken set me back just over $13.  Not a bad prices for a meal that left us with lunch for tomorrow, but not as good of a deal as the fried chicken.





Press Release – KFC Gets Into The Grilled Chicken Business

16 04 2009

I love this idea.  I love fried chicken, but it will be great to have a “healthier” alternative right down the road.  Can’t wait to see what it tastes like.

From a KFC press release….

KFC SERVES UP A SECOND SECRET RECIPE: KENTUCKY GRILLED CHICKEN™
The Unfried Side of KFC: Launch of New Grilled Menu Item Revolutionizes Brand

KFC Declares Monday, April 27 “UNFry Day” and Offers America Free Taste of Kentucky Grilled Chicken Nationwide

LOUISVILLE, KY – Kentucky Fried Chicken, the world’s most popular chicken restaurant chain, announced a second secret recipe has been added to its menu – Kentucky Grilled Chicken (KGC). The announcement made today, at New York City’s famed Friars Club (unofficially dubbed the “UNFriars Club” for the event), marks the launch of this revolutionary new non-fried menu item, which is available in KFC stores nationwide beginning today.

KFC’s Kentucky Grilled Chicken is packed with flavor. It’s marinated and seasoned with a savory blend of six secret herbs and spices and slow-grilled to juicy perfection. The cooking process includes a blend of spices that is proprietary to KFC and utilizes custom-designed, patented ovens, making it KFC’s second secret recipe.

“The introduction of Kentucky Grilled Chicken is a defining moment in our brand’s storied history,” said KFC President Roger Eaton. “KGC is the latest menu innovation that showcases our commitment to meeting our customers’ ever-changing needs while staying true to the standards of high quality and great taste pioneered by Colonel Sanders. This product will transform the industry.” Read the rest of this entry »





KFC Offers To Fix Potholes

1 04 2009

I thought for sure this was an elaborate April Fool’s joke, but most of the articles I could find on the topic were from last week.

The fast-food chain has sent off a letter to the nation’s mayors, offering to patch their potholes for free. The company will leave behind a stenciled brand on the patch informing people the road has been “Re-Freshed by KFC.”

“In honor of our “Fresh Tastes Best” campaign, we want to come and Re-“Fresh” your roads!” KFC president Roger Eaton says in the letter. “Every patched pothole comes with the Colonel’s very own stamp of approval.”

I find this sad on two levels.  First, it’s sad that these cities can’t do what they’re supposed to do on their own.  This story in the Chicago Tribune says the city was working with a marketing firm already when they found out about KFC’s offer.  Second, it’s really sad that advertising continues to take over our lives.





KFC – S. Cedar

9 06 2008
  • 6600 S. Cedar St.KFC
  • Lansing, MI 48911
  • (517) 882-9781
  • Website
  • Menu

I was all ready to fire up the grill and cook myself a nice, big T-Bone for dinner when, for the third night in a row, the Lansing area got pounded with heavy storms.  As I’ve mentioned in this blog before, I’m a former news photographer, so my girlfriend and I grabbed a camera and went storm and damage chasing.  Unfortunately for my T-Bone, the storm came during dinner time, so we needed a back-up plan.  We were on our way home, tired and wet when we remembered the KFC on the corner of Cedar and Pennsylvania.  A few days ago, we walked to Meijer to get some stuff and talked about trying the new Smoky Chipotle Crispy Chicken.  Since it was getting late and we were tired, this was as good a time as ever to give it a shot.

I’m not really a fan of Mexican food, but the one thing I use all the time in my own cooking is chile’s, dried chile’s and chile powder’s.  I have bags of Chili De Arbol and Ancho Chile Powder in my spice cabinet and there’s usually a can of chipotle’s in adobo in my fridge, so I was really looking forward to this chicken. Read the rest of this entry »