IMLAY CITY — Residents and visitors of Imlay City and any other motorists who traverse the M-53 corridor looking for fast food will soon have two more options.
Imlay City officials have given approval of site plans for the construction of Arby’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken. Fast Food Restaurant Open Now
Work on the Arby’s building is expected to get underway yet this summer and possibly be open for business by the end of the year.
If you’re looking for some finger lickin’ good chicken you will soon be able to stop in Imlay City and pick up some Kentucky Fried Chicken. KFC will be located near Choice One Bank on M-53.
Imlay City Mayor Joi Kempf says she has plenty of residents and others asking her on a daily basis when the two fast food businesses are coming.
“Citizen’s are excited to have more of their favorites coming to Imlay City. There are some who are looking forward to the job opportunities. The new businesses have been wonderful to work with and are very excited about having a new home in Imlay City.”
Kentucky Fried Chicken is planning on building on a vacant lot near ChoiceOne Bank while Arby’s will be located near Huntington Bank, further north up M-53.
According to the company’s website, Arby’s “is an American fast food sandwich restaurant chain with more than 3,300 restaurants.”
Arby’s ranked third in systemwide sales in the United States in the quick-service and fast-casual restaurant industries in 2012, behind Subway and Panera Bread. In October 2017, Food & Wine called Arby’s “America’s second largest sandwich chain (after Subway)”.
Roark Capital Group acquired 81.5 % of Arby’s Restaurant Group in July 2011 and is now a majority-owner.
Arby’s is best known for selling roast beef sandwiches. Other menu items the chain is known for include gyros, wraps, chicken sandwiches, and milkshakes. Its headquarters are in Sandy Springs, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. In 2019, there were 3,472 restaurants. There are locations in seven countries outside the United States: Canada, Costa Rica, Egypt, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Turkey.
According to the KFC website, KFC, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM.), is a global chicken restaurant brand with a rich, decades-long history of success and innovation.
The website goes on to state, “It all started with one cook, Colonel Harland Sanders, who created a finger lickin’ good recipe more than 80 years ago, a list of secret herbs and spices scratched out on the back of the door to his kitchen.
Today we still follow his formula for success, with real cooks breading and freshly preparing our delicious chicken by hand in more than 26,000 restaurants in over 150 countries and territories around the world.”
The website says of their food, “Our food is always craveable. We are the original fried chicken experts, and everything we do celebrates our passion for serving finger lickin’ good food. Whether it’s a spin on our world-famous iconic recipes, innovative ways to serve fried chicken, or new menu items inspired by our original roots, everything we make must be uniquely KFC. We’re proud to serve wholesome, abundant, hot meals the way they should be served—made with high-quality fresh chicken, freshly prepared by real cooks in our kitchens.”
Harland Sanders was born in Henryville, Indiana in 1890. He spent his early years making his way around the southern states, trying his hand working as a steamboat pilot, railroad fireman and farmer.
When Sanders turned 40, he bought a roadside motel in Corbin, Kentucky and began serving his southern style chicken.
Finally, in 1939, the Colonel perfected his unique blend off 11 herbs and spices that are still used today… and still top secret.
According to the company’s heritage, in 1950 The Colonel donned his iconic white suit for the first time and from then on, wears one every time he’s out in public.
In 1964, As the network of franchises grew across the USA, the Colonel felt it was time to slow down, and sold the KFC Company to investors.
After a rich and full life, Harland Sanders sadly passes away at the age of 90, in 1980.
His legacy lives on through his Original Recipe chicken and the company logo adapts over the years, with the Colonel’s face remaining at the forefront of the design.
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