The decision to change the name of the restaurant chain from Kentucky Fried Chicken to KFC in 1991 spawned a range of bizarre rumors and urban legends, including speculation that KFC was raising vast herds of mutant Frankenchickens in secret and that the USDA had forbidden KFC to use the word chicken in reference to the creatures. The truth was simply that the corporation was planning to begin offering non-chicken menu items, and also thought it wise to downplay the word fried in an increasingly health-conscious marketplace.
Still today, the "finger lickin' good" moniker for KFC stands as one of the most well known phrases.
In January 1997, PepsiCo, Inc. announced the spin-off of its quick service restaurants -- KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut -- into an independent restaurant company, Tricon Global Restaurants, Inc. In May 2002, the company announced it received shareholders' approval to change it's corporation name to Yum! Brands, Inc. The company, which owns A&W All-American Food Restaurants, KFC, Long John Silvers, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell restaurants, is the world's largest restaurant company in terms of system units.
KFC now offers great tasting meals and snacks in over 30,000 restaurants around the world. Every day over 6.5 million people make KFC part of their lives. Laid head to claw, KFC chickens consumed worldwide would stretch 458,065 kilometres and would circle the earth at the equator 11 times.