KFC introduced its iconic bucket meal in 1957.
The idea is credited to Pete Harman, an early KFC franchisee in Salt Lake City, Utah. Harman reportedly created the bucket presentation to make fried chicken easier to carry home and share, helping turn a restaurant meal into a family-style takeout product.
The bucket became one of KFC’s most recognizable serving formats, although the company’s earliest franchise history predates it. Colonel Harland Sanders began franchising his chicken concept in 1952, while the first KFC restaurant outside North America opened later, in the United Kingdom in 1965.
The bucket should not be confused with KFC’s original pressure-fried chicken method or its Original Recipe seasoning. Those are separate parts of the brand’s history. The bucket describes the packaging and meal format, not a particular cut of chicken or a special cooking technique.