Who opened the first Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise in 1952?

Pete Harman opened the first Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise in 1952.

Harman was a Utah restaurant operator who reached a handshake agreement with Colonel Harland Sanders to sell Sanders’s seasoned fried-chicken recipe. His restaurant, located in South Salt Lake, began serving the franchised product in August 1952. Harman became the first KFC franchisee and helped turn Sanders’s roadside specialty into a repeatable restaurant concept.

Harman’s location contributed more than sales. He is commonly credited with helping popularize the name “Kentucky Fried Chicken” and with introducing an early version of the chain’s recognizable bucket presentation. The restaurant’s success showed Sanders that licensing the recipe to other operators could be more powerful than running every location himself.

The wrong options point to other fast-food figures: Glen Bell founded Taco Bell, Dave Thomas founded Wendy’s, and Ray Kroc expanded McDonald’s. None was the first KFC franchisee.