The fast food chain founded by Colonel Harland Sanders was KFC.
Harland Sanders began serving fried chicken to travelers in 1930 from a filling station and restaurant near North Corbin, Kentucky. His business eventually became Sanders Court & Café, where he refined the recipe and developed a pressure-frying method that cooked chicken faster while keeping it tender.
Sanders began franchising his chicken recipe in 1952, when Pete Harman opened the first Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise in South Salt Lake, Utah. The “Colonel” title was honorary: Kentucky Governor Ruby Laffoon awarded Sanders the title in 1936, years before the chain became nationally famous.
KFC originally stood for Kentucky Fried Chicken. Sanders sold the company to investors led by John Y. Brown Jr. and Jack C. Massey in 1964, but remained closely associated with its branding. The Colonel Sanders image is still one of the most recognizable symbols in fast food.