Harland Sanders Cafe and Museum

Appreciate the history of the place, but everything here seems a bit old and run down. In terms of the food, it’s a regular KFC, but the history definitely gives it an ambiance that you won’t experience in other stores in the chain. Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like this store could be so much more than it is currently. I’m surprised that, given its history, all they have is mostly glassed-​in enclosures. Why not make the place more interactive? Why not take the service up a notch here? Why not differentiate this place from others in the chain? What’s so horrible about novelty?

Best KFC chicken since I was a kid and I am now 60! The museum/​dinning room is really fun. Not a lot of stuff, but worth a few minutes before you eat. The chicken tastes like it used to taste. Meaning the crust is not soggy. It was even the old reddish brown color I remembered as a kid. The counter service was friendly, if a little slow. Not her fault that only one person on counter, who had to box orders as she took them. Great fun for no extra cost.

The Harland Sanders Café and Museum is essentially a modern restaurant integrated with a museum. The order counter is from a modern KFC, but you sit down in a historical dining area. Scattered among the restaurant are museum display items, like an old cash register, the old kitchen design, and a model of the original KFC.
Food wise, everything was perfect (by KFC standards). The fried chicken was crispy and moist, the biscuits were warm, and the coleslaw had just the right amount of dressing.
The service, however, was a bit slow. I had to wait a few minutes despite being the first in line at the counter.

Since I moved to kentucky I always wanted to come to the original spot where KFC first started. It was a long way from newport KY but so worth it and drive thru the hills and trees was very pretty.
When we got there it looked empty and wev thought it was closed because there was no one in the parking lot but when we looked closer the cars were parked towards the back, so that was a relief.
This is a great cute place to go, it was a musuem and a KFC diner mixed in one very interactive. We went ahead and looked thru the museum first, looked at the display, the pictures. I can say the museum was very informative and loved looking at the pictures from back when it started. The musuem was fun and interesting.
After we got a piece of history we went ahead and ordered our meal and sat down in parts of the museum.
Mind you the musuem is not extremely big but does have a lot of information. It was great to eat and enjoy a little piece of history of the original KFC.
I recommend this for those that like to do things outside the box!

(WARNING: this review is not about healthy, low fat, low carb dining… if that is what you seek, find another review!)
What could be more American than fried chicken; in Kentucky? On our many trips north and south along I-​75 through Kentucky we began noticing one of those brown highway signs that tell you about something historical or interesting (or both) to see or do nearby. The one that caught our eye over and over was for the Harlan Sanders Café and Museum near Corbin, KY.
We finally caved to our curiosity and made a stop there to check it out. For anyone who doesn’t already know, Harlan Sanders was Colonel Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame, now commonly KFC. (Side note: Kentucky Fried Chicken opened in Japan in 1970 and my wife had to try this new American food and she loved it!). This is the site of the original Sanders Court that contained the original café, a motel, and a service station. It is only five minutes off the interstate highway.
Currently only the Café remains and it is set up as a museum to give you a look into how it was in the days before interstate highways changed our travel habits to «let’s just get there» from «wonder what we’ll see along the way» as many of what used to be main roads were now out of the way stops. You can look into the kitchen and see how it was set up; the tables and chairs in the dining room; the counter where you would come in and pay on your way out. Time travel while you eat!
If you are hungry, and you like fried chicken, you are in luck. There is a modern KFC attached to the Harlan Sanders Café. So you can get your chicken and take it into the café dining room to eat while looking around at the way the place looked back when the Colonel was only a 2^nd Lieutenant. And maybe it is just our imagination, but I swear that the fried chicken we get there tastes much better than any we have had at other KFC locations! And the staff there have always been pleasant and friendly to deal with as well. The Colonel would be proud!

Went to original location of KFC as a planned day trip with my daughter while visiting her in Louisville. Drove the approx 2 hr this morning on a beautiful sunny day. It was a very easy ride from I-​75. On arrival was not to put off by location. I have read that it is in a seedy area but i have definitely seen worse areas. Did not feel that this was an unsafe location day or night. Going inside I really enjoyed seeing the old memorabilia and small scale model of what area looked like in the 1940’s. Unfortunately I am old enough to remember when the colonel did his own commercials. Though not a large museum, I enjoyed eating in the original restaurant dining area with the displays of original kitchen, motel room mock up and his office. I went with my daughter who is 19 and she seemed to like it ok but have to agree that younger kids would not understand/​appreciate the history or tolerate the time to read/​view the numerous articles and artifacts on display, in terms of the chicken, I have read several comments about it being the best chicken in all of KFC land. I have to admit is was very good but not necessarily better than other KFC’s. Maybe it’s a psychological thing like when we went to chocolate world at Hershey park in PA and thought that they had the BEST chocolate milk. Overall I would personally give this a five star because it is something that I wanted to do and had the time to make the trip. I don’t believe that this should be a destination trip esp with small kids but definitely worth it if you are in the area of Corbin or passing by on 75. Take ½−1 hr out of your trip to get a good meal and enjoy a great piece of original (or xtra crispy) americana.

I love KFC and it was so fun to see where it all started with Colonel Sanders development of his 11 spices and herbs that makes his chicken «finger lickin’ good!» The café also boasts a museum with memorabilia of Colonel Sanders. Loved eating here!

We’ve driven by this place for years and never stopped. For some reason today we decided we would. I actually was surprised. There isn’t much to see but as far as KFC’s go this one was by far the best meal I’ve had at one. The setting is nice and you get to see some of the old items from the early days of KFC. The fact it was only ½ a mile out of my way to go to made it nice. I don’t think I would make a special trip to go but if you are passing through, its a nice little stop for lunch.

Hey, Colonel! How you doin?! Okay, I had so much freakin fun here!
I’m in the area, why not? I walk in. Mind Blown. Just what the nerd ordered. Ahem, yeah, that’s me.
Don’t tell Loveless I think this towers high on my historic motorist sightseeing list. Cuz when you love this stuff you make lists. Like the ‘Motorist Americana’ and ‘Early 20^th Century Interstate Traveler Cool Landmarks’ lists. Truly, this spot is really well done and I think it’s also really well preserved. And it’s an archivist’s real-​life fantasy.
Look at all the artifacts. Walk through the exhibits. Chat it up with the staff. The kids will love it. Eat some chicken. (The food is what it is. If you leave without tasting the original you will regret it. Let the hype psychology make its way to your taste buds. And snarf it).

This is where KFC began. I like the fact there is a museum about it but not connected to this Fast Food restaurant. The food is about as good as any other KFC so nothing special about that. Staff isn’t terrible but could be better. A huge tourist destination for foodies but it’s a one time visit in my opinion.

Cranky employees, but what can one expect when 30% of their job is entertaining and answering questions of the mass of patrons. Most of the customers are up there in age so be advised that it will be difficult to look through everything quickly.
They really should invest in a PR firm to help the museum better craft the narrative. A good story could be told, but as it stands it is like going to an antique mall while looking at disjointed junk.

We normally don’t eat at KFC, but we thought the birthplace of the food might be a pretty awesome place to try to get back into KFC. It’s less than 5 minutes off the highway, so it’s easy to get to. It’s in an industrial-​looking part of the neighborhood, though.
I gotta admit, everybody in my party was expecting «more» from the birthplace. It’s definitely neat — don’t get me wrong — but it wasn’t particularly huge or modern-​looking. It’s basically a nice, modern KFC attached to an in-​shape version of the old KFC Café. (Did you know that KFC started as a little breakfast diner? How neat!) The modern area is very nice and clean while all of the seating is within the diner area which is dark hardwood and designed to be an in-​shape version of the old diner. Throughout both areas, you’ll find glass cases and partioned-​off areas that have old memorabilia of the Coronel and his business and life.
Lots of great photo opportunities around if you want to take some photos to remember your visit. There’s even a giant Sanders statue on a bench to take photos with.
Food itself was decent. Everybody was hoping this would be the visit that redeemed KFC, but it wasn’t. It was just average chicken. I loved the Wedges more, but everybody agreed that we’ve had a lot better. In terms of KFC food, though, I think this is some of the best that I’ve ever had from a KFC.
Service was friendly. They didn’t seem to know much about any of the history or anything when we asked, so the staff was more like people that would work at any other KFC — not like museum attendants.
As a random note, there was no trash near the drinks area, so we wandered around the entire area looking for where to throw away our garbage. That’s no reason that there shouldn’t be a garbage can there.
As another random note, there were two separate tables within earshot during our visit here that were having racist conversations. While I don’t fault KFC for anybody that’s eating there, it was a bit off-​putting.
Nobody was too impressed. We thought there would be a lot more focus on the «museum» aspect, but it’s basically a nice, modern KFC with a decent amount of view-​at-​your-​leisure history attached. If you’re a KFC fan, though, you’ll appreciate getting to learn a bit more about the guy who started your chain. I’m not sure I’d say this is a great spot for kids, though. While it’s definitely a regular KFC and it has that going for it, it also doesn’t have too much «interactive» history type of stuff, and I’m not sure kids will find the glass cabinets as exciting as adults might.

What a nifty little slice of Kentucky (Fried Chicken) history!
Since I had never been, my friends decided we should stop on our way back from Asheville. You pull up and it is a blend of old school restaurant and modern fast food. A huge KFC sign… then one that says… Sanders Café…
You walk in and see a normal fast food ordering counter, but surrounding it are pictures, articles, prints, statues, and even a miniature layout of the old café.
Unforunately, we went on Labor Day, so it was packed! The line reached the door… which was a bit away from the counter. With the long line came a bit of a wait, more than you would expect from a fast food joint.
So it was finally my time to order. My cashier was nice and pleasant, but forgot to put a chicken sandwich in my bag. My friends who ordered next to me also needed to remind their cashier about the cookies. I’m sure the crowd was a little overwhelming. One thing to note — they don’t have a condiment stand, so be sure to ask for anything you may want up front.
From a food perspective, I assume because it was so busy, but it was HOT! It was nice to have fried chicken that felt like it came right out of the fryer, or wedges that weren’t stale when you bit into it.
Definitely worth the little drive from the expressway to stop in (less than 5 minutes).

Taken a while for me to write a review of this place. My sincerest apologies to the ghost of the Colonel.
I’m giving it 5*. For one, it’s Kentucky Fried Chicken. KFC is excellent. And don’t you DARE judge me for saying that. (Well, fresh KFC is excellent. When it’s been sitting for a while, it sucks.)
I would never give a fast food restaurant a 5* review. It’s just not worth it. But what sends this place over the top is very obvious. This is the home of KFC. This is where the Colonel came up with his famous, secret recipe. The dining area is his old restaurant. You can walk around and look at the museum, which is made up of Col. Sanders’ kitchen, his office, and a hotel room that he rented out to travelers.
On a serious note — this place is so Americana and so big in America’s cultural history… It really is magnificent. I don’t think people really appreciate just how big of a deal it is. Col. Sanders’ original recipe. Known throughout the world. It makes us Kentuckians proud.
Come here for the chicken. Enjoy the museum. Soak in the history. Appreciate where you’re sitting.

The front is just another KFC, but I think there is something special about it. But, you are not going for just that. It is a piece of Americana. Lets face it, we all grew up with KFC on the table at some point. Some us it was a Sunday tradition, served in the bucket. And some of us remember when the ‘crispy’ came out.
So if you are heading down the highway with you family, it is a quick stop. Lots of cool stuff on the inside. Your little ones will enjoy it as much as you.
And let us just remember, when KFC started, there were no Hotels, everything was a motel. there were no chain restaurants. The Colonel was a pioneer in the field. And, Dave Thomas (Founder of Wendy’s) started with KFC.

At the end of the day, it’s just a KFC.
There is a lot of interesting history to the story though. If you’re headed down I-​75, or around the Cumberland Gap road anyhow, it’s worth a quick stop to see where Harland Sanders had his gas station and discovered the idea of using pressure cookers to fry chicken. The food’s exactly the same as you’d get anywhere else though, and KFC is nothing if not consistent.

Stopped by to sightsee on a recent trip. Less than 15 minutes from I-​75. It’s an interesting combination of museum and working KFC restaurant. Most of the exhibits are behind glass, but the dining area is a period replica. The most interesting exhibit for me was the kitchen– seeing how Colonel Sanders had it laid out to work. Enjoyable little slice of history that you should experience if you’re driving on that portion of I-​75!

It doesn’t matter if you are a tourist or a Kentuckian, you have to visit here and see this great piece of Kentucky history. It’s not that far off I-​75 and you won’t be disappointed. You don’t have to eat here to see the museum. It’s loaded with artifacts and pictures of the Colonel and his early days in the business. I really liked seeing the old kitchen and some of the tools used back in the day. If you’re hungry stop and grab some chicken. It is mouth watering delicious.

I’m not sure what the others expected out of the place. It is what it is. The man created fried chicken what more do you need to know?!
When you first pull into the parking lot that faces the original café, that’s what you’ll see, the original restaurant. The dining area is in between the restaurant and the original café that now dubs as the museum. Walk past the small museum and into the KFC, then past the seating area and then into the museum. The theory here is obviously to smell and see the chicken before or after you tour the free museum. None of my party of four were hungry before we walked in but we all later ordered and grubbed. I initially thought that they would serve a completely different menu, but it’s the same typical menu of every other KFC.
The original kitchen was tiny and there was even a closed off part of the original dining set up. The original office was tiny too, but I thought it was pretty cool to see the simplicity of this genius concept. The bust that Colonel Sanders’ daughter sculpted was neat. He apparently was worried that she wanted to become an artist and not cook. Either way, that family had talent and a legacy that is known around the world.
Know what to expect before you come here and you won’t be disappointed.

The museum part was a 5 star but the food was not the best KFC I’ve ever tasted.
The staff was super friendly and the museum was really cool. It was really neat to see the old menus and how much the prices have changed over the last 60 years.