Reviews of Harland Sanders Cafe and Museum (Museum)

Harlen Arbeiter

We spent 30 minutes yesterday and 45 more today walking through and reading everything. I spent my childhood at the Sanders altar. So cool learning more about him along with the special series on the History Channel last month. And I saw the bundt cake!!! Had to get a couple to bring for the long drive home.

Lyra Gavino

The museum is good but the servers were not friendly. The location is a little out of way from the interstate. It would be nice if they have a special menu (in addition to the usual menu) or prices at this branch to make it worth visiting. Their current menu is just the same as other KFC branches. Visit only if you have spare time.

Don Johnson

I love this stop. The food and service are great. The museum is free. This was my third visit. (I travel from South Carolina to Michigan.) I still enjoy taking the detour to go here.

brenda palacios

Thought it would be more of a museum, without people staring at me while they eat their food, as it is in the dining area of the KFC...

Mike Wheat

Very nice, and a celebration of the longevity and history of the KFC brand

M3 r0b0t

KFC original place, had a nice tender chicken.

Sandra L Ledbetter

Visit this historic eatery and museum just off the interstate

Alan Sieja

Fun place. Regular KFC but the original location. Great bit of history.

Jagan N.

It has museum and colnel's historic collections displayed as well

Cheryl Seal

This was a really neat and interesting stop! Lots of Colonel Sanders history.

Will G

I absolutely love Harlan Sanders cafe museum and for some reason the chicken here taste better than any other

Michael Hisel

It was a neat experience. It's always fun to see the read about history.

Laurie LaValley

Its free and part of an existing kfc. You see his old kitchen and sample hotel room etc. It was free and okay. I wouldn't drive hours out of the way to see it but worth stoppimg if your in the area if nothing else to say you saw it.

Ron Brauer

This is where it all began! Great meal! Easy to find and park. Lots to see!

Jason Blackwell

Understaffed and undercooked chicken, it's actually the worst KFC I've ever eaten at and it's right by my house...The one in Richmond by the college is AMAZING! !!

Joe Bates

Had a wonderful time!! It was truly amazing to see where it all started.

Andy Bouch

Neat history about KFC if going right past it. Worth a stop. But do not drive more than 15 mins out of your way. Probably 2.5 rating.

Patricia Felkner

Museum is quaint but Harland Sanders wouldn't eat here. Service was awful. Workers inattentive and could care less if customers got their food. Slapped orders up on the counter without calling out a number and when asked what order it was no one knew.

Miller Rodney

Great place wish they would add buffet make it even better.

Sandapaperdaisy Art

Awesome free mini-museum with articles and exhibits of the original restaurant and various artifacts, as well as a full service KFC with dining tables inside.

Jim S

Was very excited to check this out! Was very disappointed that the locals don't really seem to care??? They just came to eat or pick up chicken. Would suggest separating the new modern KFC from the historic part with a wall, open up the original kitchen period correct with dress, hairstyles, clothing for a truly historical experience. Charge a small reservation fee and sell the originally cooked meal in the historic dining room at a premium price for tourist. Nostalgia is " in style"!!!

Courtney Blackston

The service from a particular employee was terrible, but otherwise it was a cute, fun stop on our way back to Atlanta from the Ark Encounter.

Dean Moore

This was really cool, a lot of history about Harland Sanders and KFC that I never knew. And there's even a KFC here!

Gray

Overall I'm a bit disappointed. I thought the Harland Sanders Museum was very cool, but you can tell that YUM! Brands doesn't really care about making this location special at all. It seems like they've just let it go. They could easily make this place a big tourist attraction with so many unique things only this location could offer, but they've basically turned it into just another cookie-cutter KFC, with the exception of the added"museum" that's attached.

Zach Wirszyla

I grew up eating KFC, so this one hits me hard. The museum part itself is cute with a plethora of memorabilia all around the building. However the restaurant portion looks like you jammed a modern KFC into an old plantation home, it doesn’t look right at all. I’m not saying everyone has to be making chicken in aprons with an old fashioned kitchen, but they could make it look a little less “out of place” compared to the other 80% of the restaurant. It’s undeniable that the quality of this restaurant has gone down significantly over the years, but I was at least expecting an above average experience from the BIRTH PLACE of the franchise. The food itself is your typical KFC food. If you ate this meal at any other KFC, then you’d say “that was pretty ok as far as these places goes”. But when you realize that this subpar-but-passable meal came from the original KFC, it almost feels laughable. This is the best you guys can do? No wonder I didn’t see any ads on the drive leading up to Corbin for the restaurant. I would assume they are embarrassed by this place. A restaurant is only as good as its food, and the food ain’t that good.

IAN Spencer

I could have prepared a better meal in my brothers truck. Corporation dropped the ball on this one. Museum was ok.

Melissa Guinn

Interesting place with historical information. Offerscurremt KFC menu like any other KFC. On our visit it was a holiday weekend and they only had one person on register. It wasvery slow and the line was long. We waited in line for over 45 minutes.but the food was fresh and delicious.

Tony Wells

If you're ever around close its definitely a place you should check out. Very neat seeing how KFC started and how its evolved.

Samantha Plummer

If my KFC in my hometown was as awesome as this one, I would eat there more.

scott anderson

Waited a good 10 minutes to even have our order taken. Facilities were dirty.

Jason Salmons

Pretty neat place to checknoutnif you are in the area!

Julie Bittner

Loved it!!! They stay quite busy at that location but it's very roomie and the atmosphere is relatively homie.

Leah Norvell

It's very unique to see such an iconic place

Sabrina Cantkier

Definitely go and stop by- worthwhile memorable and quick stop that’s fun for everyone- even if you don’t eat KFC!

Curtis Tasker

The information on the Colonial Sanders was great. The food was fast food.

Steve Curtis

A must stop if you Love KFC

April Yedinak

It was a KFC as far as food goes, but it was delicious. And the museum was very interesting. We really enjoyed our visit.

Syeda Fatima

An amazing experience with awesome KFC. The place looks much like a museum. The founder kitchen was one of the astonishing spots, it has all the original and old kitchen stuff used by Colonel Sanders for cooking purpose. There is much more to see and click nice pictures of all the amazing things over there. Do visit!

Glenda Benham

The chicken and sides are good and take me back to yesterday. However, we also ordered the livers and they were cooked fresh but for some reason the grease coated our mouths when we tried to eat them. Service was good and the restaurant was clean.

Michael Reynolds

Very good but slow service

Christine Harrison

It's old school cool.... but I was disappointed with the chicken. It was on the bland side.... not the spices I'm used of. I'm worried they are crazily changing the recipe! Which just can't be!

Randy Banks

The original KFC! How can you go wrong! Food was extremely tasty and the staff were all friendly!

Steven Spencer

Sometime you go inside to eat at the bar it seems fresh and good. Most of the time you go in to eat at the bar and its dried out and tastes old. Staff is not to friendly. This is the one in barbourville ky

Michael Phillips

Well... it's KFC... but cool to have had the opportunity to get it here (+1). Otherwise, I don't really eat it that much. Nice place though.

Alejandro Guerrero Ruiz

Great KFC+mini museum with delicious good but inefficiently staffed. Lines can become an issue but it is worth the wait as you wander around the items and dioramas of the original KFC restaurant in the 1940s and 1950s. Area around is a bit run down. Prices are the same as in any other regional KFC. You can buy souvenirs there too. If passing by, worth the stop.

cody steele

The service was terrible. The workers acted like we weren't even in line for 15 minutes or so and the place was really unclean. The food was ok though. Very disappointed in some aspects.

Joe Mitchell

I guess it's cool in a way but then to have some KFC while there was a bad decision.

miketucky350

Very cool place for chicken lovers!

HW Johnson

Wow, a step back in time. Well worth the time.

Julia Madden

They need to learn how to count ordered the 8 piece bucket only got 7 pieces

Danielle Litton

Food was good but service was very slow! Took 26 mins to get food after ordered. I'd still recommend checking it out because the history!

Jeff Davis

The best KFC I’ve ever eaten!

Shelly Ealy

Great clean place to eat and lots of historical things to look at.

Terry Booth

This is a must for anyone who has a bucket list in life. Great food and a opportunity to see where KFC all started with a vision of the Coronel. A piece of Americana. Quaint and full of history. And yes, "It's finger licking good."

sam chiang

Loved it. Came at 11am and all good freshly made. Servers were very nice. Kids did not want biscuit that came with set and they gave us a free side. Kids also got a free cookie. I would return. But after we sat down a large lunch crowd came so your mileage may vary.

Ryan Murphy

The history of KFC was actually very interesting and presented quite well. The food is identical to a normal KFC, but it is certainly worth a visit if you have some free time in the area.

Janet Woodgeard-Tolman

2nd time visiting. Love the history here!

Phyllis Crow

Really interesting off the highway meal. Worth the short drive.

Timothy Mcclintick

This place is awesome!!! And the service was amazing!! And SOOOO FAST!!!

Kimberly Spriegel

They have pretty cool memorabilia inside, food was good and the employees were friendly and helpful to my family. My husband went there years ago and took me and my son to check it out too and I'm very glad he did!

Jeff Abbott

Fun stop to see the Original Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Sintija Silveste

Very authentic place, need to visit it where it all began and have a lunch or dinner. Interesting museum. Everything in one place.

John Lee

Came off the highway to visit here. Can't say it's worth it. Not sure what we were expecting, but regardless, it wasn't really worth it. It's basically a KFC attached to an old room they call a "museum". I guess I was hoping for more of a "flagship" experience. Something majestic and awesome. Taking out the museum, it's still a 2 star experience as a plain old KFC, and I think that's saying something.

Tracy Johnson

Great food, great historical fun, good customer services

Hunter Cone

Only reason I gave 2 stars was for the museum. Service was horrible. The only one that was nice was the male cashier who was trying his hardest to stock the front and take orders, while it took 4 girls and a manager to run the drive through. Two girls making the food for the counter moved slower than a turtle amd two women cleaning trays. Employee's were rude asking costomers if they new where the trashcans were because there was trash on the floor. DO NOT COME HERE FOR THE FOOD!!!!!!

James Proffitt

Great service good adituids all aro3

Charlotte Johnson

Well went through drive through and didn't get what I ordered called manager and he gave me a meal discount in its place so he stuck by his word. Great meal was really nice about it. His name is Matt. Would gave 5 stars but the girl at drive through didn't check our order I ask if right she repeats it back but got home wouldnt what ordered.

Lisa Hormann

Was just what I hoped it would be!! Amazing food and authentic environment. Try explaining the concept of a phone attached to a wall to a 5 year old. In her words, ""they must have had big pockets back then" & "if no one's home to answer then how do you know when to call them"

Richard Seidemann

Interesting history, and different than any other KFC.

Ski 900

Food is good as always but the service at this restaurant was way below par. Waited over 20 minutes to get a bucket meal. Other patrons were complaining openly about how long it was taking to get their orders. For being the original KFC restaurant, the workers should be top notch.

Marissa

Pretty neat. It was on our way to pur destination so we figured we would stop. We found it very interesting. They have rooms set up like how it used to be and artifacts.

Asvikaa Raakhavan

Similar menu as other KFC except it has a small museum of old Sanders cafe.. definitely worth the visit only if it is on your way.. other than that KFC always finger licking good..It's always feels good to know roots and history of our favorite brand

Carol Rooney

Interesting. If you want to buy a souvenir you go to the counter and the cashier has a list of items you can buy. The items are displayed in the back of the dining room in a glass display case.

Jessica Covington

Good food and great service just didn't think the museum was great.

chie tnk

One of staff at the counter was super sweet. Small but nice museum you would learn about KFC and Cornel Sanders.

Joe Blow

The food is great and the museum is wonderful. A great place to take the whole family.

Marshelle Beebe

Curiosity got the best of us and we decided to check it out. The museum portion of the restaurant is 'low-budget' but interesting nonetheless. Showcases of memorabilia and replicas of parts of the old restaurant and hotel kept us intrigued for 15 or 20 minutes. Afterward, we ordered a chicken dinner, which was hot and yummy.

The_Lazy_Wombat 13

Cool museum! Didn't stay to eat, line would have taken at least an hour. I thought KFC was fast food.

Shelia Bacis

It so cute all information and lots of old pic

Andy B.

Such a nice place! Great if you if want a look into the past and like history! Good food too!

Joann Yeager

Can't go wrong with Colonel Sanders Fried Chicken! It's the BEST around! It's in my home town!!

Cindy Brown

I wouldn't go out of my way to stop here. Fun place for a couple pictures.

Chris

Good place to visit the museum is awesome lot of neat history about harland sanders & kfc but I definitely wouldn't eat here the place is really dirty and i did see quite bit of rat droppings in the old kitchen. But overall the staff was really friendly and well spoken.

Shelley Kimmel

This was such a disappointment!! The service was terrible, the bathrooms were dirty, the food was greasy....just all around not a good experience! I really expected the staff to be warm, friendly and inviting, especially considering the history of this place, but sadly, there was no friendly greeting, no enthusiasm, no pride.... the girl that waited on us never smiled, not even a little....I asked about sauce for my chicken tenders and she said I just would have to ask when they put my order on the counter..well when they called our order the woman who put it on the counter just sat it down and walked away, she didn't even look at us!! So I said something to the girl who took our order and she once again said "well you're just supposed to ask when they bring your order"....ummm...REALLY??? So I asked her what sauces they offer and she said "they're listed on the metal thing in front of the register"..... wow... just wow..... I would give a NEGATIVE review if I could because this was just about the worst experience I've ever had. If Mr. Harland Sanders was alive today he would be completely disgusted by the service his customers are receiving from this store. Shame on you guys for destroying what Colonel Sanders worked hard to build! Greasy over priced food served by apathetic disinterested staff...

Dannie Creek

Neat little trip back in time.

John Von Bargen

Stopped in for some finger lickin goodness and learned a little bit about the history of KFC

Mark Palace

Really cool location and historical important than you! Incredible that it started off right here!

Esther Miller

Really enjoyed eating in the first Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant/museum. The food was good and the staff were very friendly! Enjoyed looking at the museum and learning more about Colonel Sanders and the beginning of KFC!

Sharon Partin

This chicken here is better then any other kfc chicken.

A HacK

This is Kentucky at it finest? That’s right KFC corporate birthplace on National Registry of historic places... What about Kentucky being neutral in the civil war.... Anyway the chicken is delicious.Service average.Parking Plentiful.The museum full of old pots and pans.Lots of pictures. It’s worth a stop to enjoy some Cornel Harland (honorary only) memories. AWARDED 2 YUMS ON A SCALE OF 3

Donna Ames

Not like the old days but still good. Love the cole slaw.

Robert Cantley

The chicken tastes better here! It is an interesting piece of Americana. If you are in the area set aside a meal and stop in.

Jan Granger

Love history. This place is full of it. Cafe is cute. Remunds you of days gone by. Nice to see it is modern. Good food as Always.

Rick Crandell

Cool place but kind of dirty inside. In all fairness they were really busy.

John Bradley

Pretty cool place but lacks info on the star of kfc

Jamila Cole

Such a joy to see where it all began without knowing it would become so big worldwide.fresh food and lots of antiques

Jennifer Walker

Good food but needed cleaning up.

Lavonne Murphy-Guzman

So awesome to see the museum! Food always great at any KFC!

Darlene Miller

it's worth stopping in and grab a bit eat fi get licking good

Frankie Leopard

It's a must see if you're in the area. A part of history that's very entertaining.

Zachary

Amazing chicken tenders and potato wedges. Super informative and cool that you can see alot of the original stuff. You can even take pictures with a statue of Sanders!

Steve Edwards

Cool place to stop , great history. Good food. We have been 2 times.

Tristan Atkinson

Food didn't come when ordered and the service took over 15min when standing at counter with low business. Nice little meusam and good enough KFC

Taylor C

Service wasn't the greatest but food was good

Scott Evans

Worth the trip to see such an icon

Cecil Hanes

Had to stop by and check out the Cornel's museum while going through Corbin. Corbin I found is the Birthplace of Harland Sanders, quint little town in Southern Kentucky, definitely recommend stopping by if you're traveling on I-75

Clarence Raines

This was by far a great place to eat and look around. The service was awsome and the staff was nice and helpful. You could just feel the rich history around you. My wife couldn't believe she was eating there nor did she imagine it. Myself I'm used to it and the older people in my family knew Sanders. I remember hearing stories about him but was too young to realize just what a boom that place had made. I really recommend it to anyone who wants to taste a rich bit of history in the Appalachians.

April Hansen

Nice historical items but just a fast food resturant

Charlie Boyd

Not any different than any other KFC...but the museum part was cool

Angie Snow

Cute stop not too far off the road. Clean restroom. Food ok. Liked it for the history and nostalgia.

Autumn Apger

Nice piece of history on KFC!

Chris H

Nice little peice of fast food history.

Ann Kielthy

We drove for couple of hours to get to the original home of the world famous fried chicken, well worth the effort and we enjoyed exploring the place and of course the food was delicious. Service was good too. Hoping to return again some day.

bcrum81

The museum was nice but the food was horrible. It could of been just alil better on being clean.

Todd Willett

Enjoyable place to visit and see the history behind the man.

Julie Marie Totsch

Great chicken. Worth the 2.5 drive from the highway. Cool to see the history.

Brenda N

Very interesting museum. Food was delicious, and the employees were very helpful and friendly. We'll definitely stop by again next time we are passing through.

Dan

Kentucky Fried Chicken is the Chicken for you and me! Now; disappointingly some KFC locations don't maintain the best quality standards so you don't always get the awesome food you're hoping for. This however, is Colonel Sander's own restaurant; and at least from my limited experiences here, the head office ensures this location maintains the strictest of quality standards. So when you visit here you'll get the awesome KFC food you love and get to explore the artifacts in the museum.

Zach Bowers

Clean and nice history on the COL. Employees were very friendly and helpful.

Nellie Collins

Very cool visiting where our hometown son made good. The restaurant also serves as a museum dedicated to the beginning of the Kentucky Fried Chicken business as well as a model of a hotel that he also had started,which is in the center of the restaurant,and the old kitchen where they cooked. Very interesting .

Dawn Moore

Neat little stop to make. Food there is same as all other KFC's but it is still interesting.

Chris Thompson

Who doesn't wanna visit the birthplace of KFC?! Sander's café is throwing out chicken that would make it's name-sake proud. Certainly a fine place to have a good meal & snap a few photos.

Justin Provost

Interesting to see the history, average tasting KFC, as me and the Girlfriend joked if you want a Good KFC you need to visit another country...

Darlene Smith

The best food you'll ever have.

Bill Warren

Really cool experience to see where it all started. I was a little surprised that at this location they did not offer the buffet as I see more and more popping up.

Joe Watson

Nice pit stop. I enjoyed reading and learning about the KFC tycoon. He was a little of a visionary. It doesn't take very long to look around and read it all, but it's free and well worth it.

sanath khamampati

I felt like they need to develop it more. I usually don’t like kfc, but thought to give a try since it is the place where the formula originated. My opinion didn’t change.

Trina Barua

It was a nice experience to see all the history. And also, fried chicken was good.

Dave Peterson

Its cool to see where it started but this is the worst kfc ive been to for service. If you expect your order to be right, then you are asking for to much. They have screwed up something every single time ive been. Then for them to fix it they expect me to drive back up and waste my gas they will not fix it the next time i come in. Im done going here.

Sherry Carroll

Great food and abience. Great little history museum inside.

Laura Lane-wells

Great historical site. Learned some things I did not know about Colonel Sanders. A fun find

Cathy Bell

Perfect, how can you top KFC museum?

Eric Murray

Nice 1st restaurant that Mr. Sanders started. The employees got my wife's order wrong. That's why I didn't give 5 stars.

Carnahan Corporation

Wow. Historic. Service was horrid however.

Christina Ramsey

Cool place to visit. Very interesting. Food was good. Would recommend.

Angie Schultz

Was expecting more since it was supposed to be a museum and all. Was not at all impressed.

Renee Yoder

Interesting combination of historical site/museum and restaurant . The museum was neat with a nice collection of KFC history displayed. The restaurant could have been cleaner (I blame messy customers) but the food was excellent. Biscuits especially!

Dee Jay

Wanted to see Corbin KY, where ancestors were born and grew up. Of course you can't stop in Corbin without stopping at Sanders Cafe and Museum. At first had a little trouble finding it since Main Street is Hwy 25. First looked on Main Street and after going in circles on one way streets had to pull over and check the address again. Finally realized that it was not actually on Main (Hwy 25) but a little further down the road on Hwy 25 after Main ends. The food of course is Kentucky Fried Chicken as any other, but it is fun to go inside and they have really nice tables and seating. The museum artifacts are fun to see - and there are entire rooms set up for viewing - for example the original kitchen. I read somewhere that I could buy a small recipe book for about $2.50 and never saw it so I asked someone working the order counter. Sure enough, they had one behind the counter that you had to ask for and she rang it up for me. I love the recipes and will definitely be trying them.

Ms Lisa

I love this place. I absolutely love KFC and I was excited to see where it all started. The cashier was very nice and friendly

dave walters

how cool to see where it all started food good and neat stuff in museum too !

Michael Tome

What can I say but it is where KFC was started and a awesome musume of our America past.....it only takes a min to stop and see the icon of chicken

Donna Jacobson

Original recipe fried chicken is wonderful at this location. Also, eating inside gives you the chance to see the museum.

rachellegroark

This place is so dirty. There's no trash cans in the front so the floor is littered with straw wrappers and napkins. The food took WAY too long. It wasted an hour of our trip. I thought it was going to be a fun little nostalgic stop but it's just an overrated dirty inconvenient restaurant

Sharon Fiaschetti

Fun place to learn about the beginning of KFC with memoirs (some original). a good break area with a cafe that was very busy.

Brian Halley

Absolutely disgusting, trash everywhere and the smell was simply awful. #KFC should be ashamed to out there name on this.

SHOPSETTA HOODBILLY

I feel like Harland Sanders would definitely have invested more $$$ money into this specific location if he was still alive or had the authority to do so . It just doesn’t seem like people involved with the maintenance truly care for the history along with the future of this establishment . I think the COLONEL is being let down I’m sorry! Not saying that we didn’t enjoy our Visit plus food was good . P.s clean those restrooms please.

Steven Howell

Good food with great friends, can't beat it, we'll be back

Christy Howard

They forgot the tenders and the food was barely warm.

Tim O'Sullivan

This is the birth place of KFC! Next to the original Sanders Cafe is a modern KFC and you get to dine in the old Sanders Cafe. Fried Chicken history surrounds you as you chow down on the original recipe Chicken! In addition to the vintage dining room, there is much memorabilia, a reproduction of the Colonel's kitchen etc. Well worth a visit as the museum and artifacts are free to see.

Carel Neffenger

What's not to like about the original birthplace of KFC? The staff was friendly. The food is like any other KFC - quite delicious. There's plenty to look at and read about the history of Colonel Sanders. They've recreated the original dining experience and reconstructed the old kitchen and model motel room. The dining area is kept clean (watched staff go through numerous times wiping tables). But when we were there, the service counter, soda machines, and nearby trash was extremely messy and neglected.

Sebrone Denson

What a wonderful piece of Americana. Loved the story and then ate Kentucky Fried Chicken. Can't go wrong with that.

Sassy Dischler - Gonzalez

History at it's finest.... Had a wonderful time

Jeff Vernon

If you know the history you can enjoy the incomplete parts. It is simply a KFC but a small section cut out to resemble early KFC's

Tim Neal

Best KFC around. Reminds me of the good days KFC when I was a kid. Friendly staff and great artifacts about the history of Harland Sanders

Bruce David Janu

Glad we stopped. It was fun seeing the partially preserved Sander's Cafe with some interesting artifacts and the original kitchen and dining area. There is a modern KFC inside, nothing special about that.

Mary Cobb

Oh my goodness, we will be back

Marcia Snook

Gotta love KFC, neat to see the history there!

Daniel DeVenney

It was very interesting getting to see this slice of history. The food seemed somehow better than what you get at a normal KFC. Stop by and check it out.