The Real Reasons Kentucky Fried Chicken Became KFC

Before it became official, I wasn't the only one referring to Kentucky Fried Chicken as KFC. Long before the company adopted the acronym in 1991, most of us were already using it.

90s Health Foods

While the 1980s gave us the fitness craze, complete with million-selling home workout videos by Richard Simmons and Jane Fonda, Jazzercise, aerobics, and more,  the 1990s were when corporate health consciousness really began influencing our diets. Who remembers the advent of plant-based spray butters, low-fat SnackWell's cookies, and potato chips featuring the fat substitute Olestra?

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Kentucky Fried Chicken Becomes KFC

Part of that shift was the Kentucky Fried Chicken name change in 1991, as the company was anxious to downplay the "fried" component of their star attraction in the wake of this shift toward healthier eating. But KFC's trademark cooking method wasn't the only reason for the update; removing the word itself from the brand name allowed the chain to expand its menu into grilled items or, perhaps, even non-chicken items. KFC did, after all, offer ribs on its menu in the late 70s into the early 80s, but that was before the name was changed.

Reasons for the KFC Name Change

But there's also the name itself. Tasting Table suggests that the company also wanted to streamline the name; the culinary website points out the number of characters in "Kentucky Fried Chicken" and even labels its six syllables "tricky."

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Other reasons suggested for the switch to "KFC," such as the Commonwealth of Kentucky trademarking the state's name and the company breeding extra-large mutant chickens with multiple legs so that they couldn't actually be called chickens, have been debunked.