Iconic Franchises—Then and Now
A look at the humble beginnings of some of the biggest names in fast food, from KFC to McDonald’s
Every iconic franchise began somewhere. Every one started with a single store opening its doors to a public that had never heard of it and didn’t know what to expect. These entrepreneurs had no idea what they were launching—and no inkling that their concept would take the world by storm.
What did these original outlets look like? What do they look like now? Some of the world’s biggest chains have preserved their first stores so customers can get a look.
The colonel’s home
In Corbin, Ky., Harland Sanders launched a gas station, motel and 2,900-square-foot restaurant called the Sanders Court and Café in 1940. The restaurant included a model motel room “to convince the lady of the family that his motel would be a good place for her family to stay,” says Steve Dearing, senior vice president of design and construction for JRN Inc., a KFC franchisee with 154 stores in 11 states, including the Corbin restaurant. The dining room was also used for wedding receptions, and Mr. Sanders offered on-site catering.
But when business dropped off due to the introduction of the interstate and the rerouting of the highway, Mr. Sanders took his secret recipe on the road, selling franchises and charging a nickel for each chicken the owners sold.
Today, the Corbin location has more of a “museum feel” to it, with a cordoned-off area and a replica of the early kitchen, Mr. Dearing says.
“We restored all items as close to the original as possible, including the wormy chestnut paneling in the dining room,” he says. “We have one of the original tables and chairs as well as many artifacts from the original restaurant.”
These historical curiosities include a full place setting of the china, spices and flour, as well as an original menu. Mr. Dearing says nothing was thrown out but some changes were made to the location. The smoke house in the rear, for instance, was converted to a dining room; a state-of-the-art kitchen was attached to the original building.
Meanwhile, customers can also visit the site of the first Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise in Salt Lake City, which is now one of about 4,270 KFC restaurants across the U.S. A glass case displays the Colonel’s signature white suit, and on their way out, customers can purchase “I’ve been to the world’s first KFC” T-shirts or an LP featuring Mr. Sanders’s brass band, among other memorabilia.
100 years of hot dogs
When Nathan Handwerker opened a hot-dog stand at the corner of Surf and Stillwell avenues in Coney Island in 1916, it didn’t even have a name. Everyone just knew it as the place to go when they had a hankering for a hot dog. But as word spread, friends encouraged Mr. Handwerker to name it. Nathan’s Famous was born.
As the menu expanded, so did the size of the stand, taking up more of the Surf Avenue block, according to Wayne Norbitz, the chain’s former chief operating officer. First came hamburgers, then chow mein on a bun, roast-beef sandwiches and barbecued pork on a bun. A separate area was set up for french fries, which proved extremely popular. The Stillwell Avenue subway stop opened in 1919, which dramatically increased the number of visitors to the area. In the 1940s, Nathan’s opened a seafood section, and later a clam bar. In the 1950s, a building next to Nathan’s was torn down and replaced by a large seating area. Until then, the restaurant was strictly “to go.”
Today, the original Nathan’s takes up a full city block, has 48 cash registers and attracts visitors from all over the world. The chain has 270 restaurants. “It has a cultish appeal. It’s experiential,” says Mr. Norbitz. “When we want to show people why and how we are different, we take them to Coney Island. It makes an impression.”
The hole story
William Rosenburg ran a tidy business selling coffee, pastries and sandwiches to factory workers in the Quincy, Mass., area. First he called it Industrial Luncheon Service, then Open Kettle, but then in 1950 he changed it again after realizing 40% of his sales were coming from coffee and doughnuts. This time, the name stuck: Dunkin’ Donuts.
While most doughnut stores sold four varieties, he decided to offer 52, a different one for each week of the year, according to franchisee Victor Carvalho, who now owns the location.
The look of the Quincy location has changed over the years, but in 2011, it received a makeover “to restore the look and feel of the restaurant to when it originally opened,” according to a company spokesperson. This included adding the old-fashioned script back to the sign and a counter with stools. There are also plaques both inside and out citing the shop as the original location and framed memorabilia on the walls, including photos of the founder and photos of how the store looked when it opened. It is the only Dunkin’ Donuts location out of about 11,900 world-wide to sport the retro design, says Mr. Carvalho.
The menu is a mix of old and new, still offering many of the classic doughnuts as well as newer additions like Cold Brew coffee, espresso drinks, croissant doughnuts, breakfast and bakery sandwiches.
A tribute to the arches
In San Bernardino, Calif., Richard and Maurice McDonald started a modest hamburger shop in 1948 that would go on to become one of the most recognizable brand names in the world. Out front, a street sign advertised hamburgers for 15 cents. In addition, the restaurant sold cheeseburgers, potato chips and soft drinks. Six months later, milk shakes were added, and french fries replaced the chips. In the back of the property were outbuildings that housed the brothers’ personal office and carport, the storage area for food, paper and dry goods, and the potato-storage area.
The brothers’ first franchise opened in Phoenix in 1953, sporting the golden arches and red and white tiles. (Ray Kroc persuaded the McDonalds to expand their franchising and in 1955 founded McDonald’s System Inc., todayMcDonald’s Corp.)
In 1998, Albert Okura bought the original San Bernardino property—then dilapidated and foreclosed—and turned the building into an unofficial but extensive McDonald’s museum. (It also houses the headquarters for his own fast-food chicken chain, Juan Pollo.) Inside, there are stories from early employees framed on the walls, photos, life-size Ronald McDonald and Hamburglar figures and cases with memorabilia. Outside is the original street sign.
