The Claudia Sanders Dinner House: A photo-essay

Many are familiar with Kentucky Fried Chicken's founder and face of the company Colonel Sanders, full name Harland Sanders, but fewer know the impact that his wife, Claudia Sanders, had on his success.


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(Andrew Kung Group)

Many are familiar with Kentucky Fried Chicken's founder and face of the company Colonel Sanders, full name Harland Sanders, but fewer know the impact that his wife, Claudia Sanders, had on his success.

Claudia Sanders 2(Andrew Kung Group)


The Claudia Sanders Dinner House pictured above is up for sale. The restaurant and residence were the first KFC headquarters in the 1950s and the home of Claudia Sanders for 20 years. The restaurant is known for southern comfort food like fried green tomatoes, loaded mashed potatoes and chicken liver.


Claudia Sanders 3(The Claudia Sanders Dinner House)

The sale includes the trademarked name and likeness of Claudia Sanders. 

Claudia Sanders 4(Andrew Kung Group)

Whoever purchases the property will also receive a birthday letter from President Richard Nixon to Colonel Sanders as well as Colonel Sanders' original Kentucky Colonel certificate, Colonel Sanders' Bible, money clip, wristwatch and other memorabilia. 


Claudia Sanders 5(Andrew Kung Group)


The Claudia Sanders Dinner House has been in operation since 1959 – only temporarily halted by a fire in 1999 in which the restaurant had to be rebuilt. The almost 25,000-square-foot restaurant and banquet hall sits on 3.01 acres alongside the 5,000-square-foot residential property. The listing price is not available to the public.


Claudia Sanders 6(Andrew Kung Group)

Claudia Sanders met the colonel in the 1930’s while working as a waitress at the Sanders Café. They were married in 1949. According to a 1991 interview with Claudia Sanders, she would take restaurant orders over the phone from out of state and send the packaged food orders by train. 

“Claudia was the unspoken hero of her husband’s success in business,” said Jonathan Klunk, a listing agent and family representative, in a news release. “And he wanted to honor her by creating Claudia Sanders Dinner House and associated brands. There is so much rich history included in this sale; it is exciting to think about the potential that lies ahead for the right buyer – to honor and protect this legacy and grow the brand even further.”


Claudia Sanders 8(KFC Malaysia)

 

To celebrate International Women’s Day, March 8, in 2018, KFC Malaysia changed the Colonel Sanders logo to a similar-looking Claudia Sanders logo. However, it was not well received by the public. 


Claudia Sanders 7(Andrew Kung Group)

Pictured above is the Kentucky Colonel certificate that Colonel Sanders received from the governor of Kentucky. While Colonel Sanders did serve in the military in 1906, by falsifying his birth record, his title of colonel was only honorary. 

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