Why Colonel Sanders Disliked KFC's Mashed Potatoes Gravy

KFC might not be the most successful chicken chain in the United States — that title goes to Chick-fil-A — yet its global influence is nothing to sneeze at. The brand has built a loyal following thanks to its menu of Southern-style comfort classics, and the person behind its success was Colonel Harland Sanders. However, something fans might not know is that his vision for the chain was lost somewhere down the line.

Sanders first began selling fried chicken from his own Kentucky restaurant, where he developed the iconic pressure-cooker formula — KFC's chicken is not deep fried — that kept people craving more. He eventually stepped into franchising, with the first branch opening in 1952 (surprisingly not in Kentucky). In 1964, he sold the rapidly growing brand to a group of investors for $2 million. Although Sanders was no longer the official owner, he remained closely involved as its public face.

One product Sanders was particularly proud of was his gravy, but as is often the case with rapid expansion and mass production, the company tweaked his original formula to improve efficiency and cut costs. During a surprise visit to a KFC franchise, Sanders tried this new recipe and was outraged. After tasting the gravy, he reportedly threw chicken on the floor and verbally abused the store's manager. In a published interview with the Courier Journal, he went on to share his less-than-complimentary thoughts on the gravy: "My God, that gravy is horrible. They buy tap water for 15 to 20 cents a thousand gallons and then they mix it with flour and starch and end up with pure wallpaper paste. And I know wallpaper paste, by God, because I've seen my mother make it" (via Justia).

It wasn't just the gravy Colonel Harland Sanders was critical of, either — he was especially unhappy with KFC's newer Extra Crispy chicken, which used heavier breading than his original recipe. Never one to mince words, he dismissed it to the Courier Journal as "a damn fried doughball stuck on some chicken."

Angered by the altered recipe, the Colonel opened his own competing restaurant in 1968 with his wife, Claudia. Designed to serve food using the authentic recipes he originally created, he named it The Colonel's Lady Dinner House. However, when KFC was acquired by Heublein in 1971, the company sued Sanders in a massive trademark lawsuit, which he responded to with a countersuit seeking $122 million for associating him with its "altered" products. The case was eventually settled out of court, with Heublein paying Sanders $1 million on the condition that he remove the "Colonel's" from the restaurant's name. Following this, it changed its name to Claudia Sanders Dinner House.

But this didn't spell the end of the Colonel's legal battles with KFC. As the public face of the brand, his harsh criticism carried a lot of weight. In 1978, he was sued by a KFC franchisee for libel following his comments to the Courier Journal. The lawsuit never made it to trial, and the court dropped the case after concluding that the Colonel wasn't referring to that specific franchisee's location.