logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2021
24m 41s

KFC vs Chick-fil-A | The Birth of the Bu...

Wondery
About this episode

It’s the 1950s in Kentucky and Harland Sanders faces bankruptcy once again. 65-years-old, broke, unemployed and desperate, he barnstorms the country, living out of his car, selling his secret fried chicken recipe to restaurant and diner owners. Franchising is a new concept and it’s hard going, but Sanders makes an invaluable convert of Pete Harman, a Utah restaurateur, who becomes his first franchisee. Harman creates the icons of the Kentucky Fried Chicken brand, including its name, and becomes a lifelong champion of the company. Meanwhile in Atlanta, a local airline presents Truett Cathy with a surplus of boneless chicken, which he slips into a bun and turns into pure southern fried chicken gold. 

Pre-order our new book The Art of Business Wars now before it is released on April 13.

Listen to new episodes 1 week early and to all episodes ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App https://wondery.app.link/businesswars.

Support us by supporting our sponsors!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up next
Today
Flipping the Bird: Elon vs Twitter | I Am Supposed to Believe This Man is a Genius? | 2
Elon Musk makes the Twitter board an offer they can’t refuse — a $44 billion offer, to be exact. But this won’t be an easy marriage. No sooner does Twitter accept than Elon starts raising doubts. Publicly, Elon can’t help taking shots at Twitter and its leaders, sending their sto ... Show More
33m 9s
Yesterday
Flipping the Bird: Elon vs Twitter | Maximum Amazing | 1
Twitter is at a crossroads. Its founder, Jack Dorsey, has stepped down from his role as CEO. The social media heavyweight is also under fire for alleged bias, censorship, and the roving army of bot accounts wreaking havoc on the site. In this moment of crisis, the only would-be s ... Show More
29m 9s
Jul 2
Rebuilding LEGO | Brick to the Future | 2
It’s late 2003 and LEGO’s turnaround strategy has failed. It’s hurtling towards bankruptcy. Its only hope now is a three-man shadow leadership team. And they’re about to learn that the problems at LEGO go way deeper than anyone thought.Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest ... Show More
40m 8s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2024
Dave’s Hot Chicken: Arman Oganesyan
Dave’s Hot Chicken began as a tiny pop-up, selling spicy chicken tenders and fries from a tent in East Hollywood. Their homemade take on Nashville Hot Chicken was an overnight sensation in a city that had barely heard of it, and within days, co-founder Arman Oganesyan and his par ... Show More
1h 6m
Jul 2020
McDonald's vs Burger King - Frénésie de consommation | 3
Au milieu des années 60, les Américains ont développé un goût pour la nourriture rapide, délicieuse et abordable — et ils en demandent davantage. Les franchises américaines de restauration rapide — McDonald's, Burger King et Burger Chef — savent que si elles veulent nourrir l'Amé ... Show More
22m 41s
Jul 2020
McDonald's vs Burger King - Bataille des burgers | 5
Burger King est sous pression. McDonald's offre à la nation une nouvelle façon de manger du poulet et Wendy's se rapproche rapidement du numéro deux de la restauration rapide. Acculé au mur, Burger King s'apprête à mordre à l'hameçon avec une campagne publicitaire qui attaque dir ... Show More
24m 45s
Jul 2018
Chicken Salad Chick: Stacy Brown
For many of us, chicken salad is just another sandwich filling, but Stacy Brown turned it into a $75 million business. In 2007, she was a divorced mother of three looking for a way to make ends meet. So she started making chicken salad in her kitchen and selling it out of a baske ... Show More
55m 59s
Aug 2020
McDonald's vs Burger King - Super Fan Supernova | 6
C'est un nouveau siècle et les temps sont durs pour les géants du burger. Burger King se trouve dans l'ornière et McDonald's est sur le point d'annoncer sa première perte en près de 40 ans. Les deux enseignes doivent se réinventer rapidement. Mais peuvent-elles élaborer des strat ... Show More
23m 28s
Dec 2023
Colonel Santa Claus | How KFC Conquered Japan | 1
Young businessman Takeshi “Shin” Okawara takes the gamble of a lifetime when he leaves a secure job to become the manager of one of the first KFCs in Japan. The bold step looks to be failing, until Shin has an idea to bring together fried chicken and Christmas.Want to listen to t ... Show More
34m 14s
Jul 2020
McDonald's vs Burger King - Faites comme bon vous semble | 4
Nous sommes dans les années 1970, et les barons du burger se tournent vers la publicité télévisée pour faire grimper les profits en flèche. McDonald's mise sur une petite chanson et une petite danse pour lui donner un avantage concurrentiel, mais Burger King intensifie ses public ... Show More
22m 41s
Feb 2024
🇸🇪🛋️ “IkeaWëWørk” — Ikea’s coworking launch. Dutch Bros’ Starbucks dunk. Warren Buffett’s special letter.
Ikea’s got its own malls now, and is adding a branded coworking space to them — Ikea just launched a rival to WeWork because coworking isn’t a product, it’s a feature.The #3 coffee chain in America? It’s Dutch Bros — The Broistas at Dutch Bros are catching up to Starbucks by obse ... Show More
20m 44s
Dec 2023
📓 “Work Homework?” — The Take-Home Assignment job trend. GameStop’s Chief Stonk Officer. McDonald’s new CosMc Spinoff.
The newest restaurant chain in America is “CosMc,” a McDonald’s spin off — It’s taking on Starbucks… and it looks like McDonald’s cousin.GameStop just authorized their CEO to use company money to buy stocks — They turned their CEO into their Chief Investment Officer (and gave him ... Show More
21m 2s
Feb 2024
Pepsi: Doing Good Business | Special Markets | 1
In 1940, Pepsi President Walter Mack makes headlines by hiring a team of Black salesmen to target African American customers in a new “special markets” division. The pioneering sales team ventures into the Jim Crow south, where they build Pepsi’s brand loyalty among the Black com ... Show More
36m 17s