Colonel Harland Sanders opened the first Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1952.
The franchise was operated by Pete Harman, a restaurant owner whom Sanders met through a mutual acquaintance. Harman helped turn Sanders's pressure-cooked chicken recipe into a branded restaurant product. The Salt Lake City restaurant became the first location licensed to sell chicken using Sanders's system and name.
Before franchising, Sanders had served meals at his service station and restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky. His cooking method shortened preparation time while producing consistently crisp chicken. The franchise arrangement allowed other restaurant operators to add his chicken to their menus in exchange for payments and adherence to the method.
Louisville is often associated with KFC because the company later established major offices there and the city became strongly linked with its corporate identity. However, the first KFC franchise was in Salt Lake City, while Sanders's original restaurant operation was in Corbin.