Ryan Koon, KFC Canada’s president and general manager, is building upon the brand’s delicious history and Southern hospitality from his new position at the top of the pecking order
By Daniel McIntosh
When it comes to legacy, few brands are as impactful as KFC. Far beyond its international presence, with over 30,000 locations in 145 countries around the world, the brand is recognized just as much for its food as it is for its marketing genius.
Consider the red and white buckets. Consider the long-rumoured trade secret 11 herbs and spice mix. And consider the instantly recognizable silhouette of the brand’s mustachioed founder, Colonel Harland Sanders.
For Ryan Koon, president and general manager of KFC Canada, these touchpoints drive nostalgia and keep people coming into restaurants. He has memories of being a kid in Georgia and fighting for the coveted drumstick among his siblings. “There’s a lot of nostalgia in that piece. And I love it.”
The chicken takes off
Before KFC was a legendary franchise, Colonel Sanders was just a man hawking chicken from the Sander’s Cafe in Corbin, Kentucky. (The site of the original Sanders Cafe is now a museum with exhibits and memorabilia from the brand’s earliest iterations.) A product of the Great Depression, Sanders saw the potential of franchising for growing his restaurant concept, and the first Kentucky Fried Chicken—for those who don’t remember, what the renowned acronym originally stood for—opened in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1952. But Sanders’ and KFC’s presence in Canada goes deeper than just selling chicken.
“One thing I love about the Canada [side of the] business is there’s a very rich heritage from KFC itself,” says Koon. In his 12-year tenure with the brand, he’s been in various roles in the company’s South Pacific and Latin American divisions, where he was charged with guiding the brand’s presence across 41 different countries. Overseeing the Latin American region from Miami, he piloted the growth of the company in the area from 1,100 units to 1,600.
Since moving into Canada’s top chair in August, he’s been excited to continue the growth of KFC. Having moved through multiple departments within the organization, from chief financial officer to chief development officer, he brings the years of expertise required to continue to build KFC Canada’s presence around the quality the Colonel imagined when he set foot in Canada.
Sanders lived in Mississauga, Ontario, from 1965 to his death in 1980. Koon says he’s heard stories from older franchisee families of when the Colonel would stay in their house, teach them recipes, and help them get their franchises on their feet.
While Sanders grew the company immensely around the world, his boots-on-the-ground presence in Canada made a world of difference. “As you travel around other markets in the world, they know who the Colonel was, but there’s not that deep relationship with the Colonel himself, and I think that heritage is here and with many of our franchisees,” notes Koon.
But it’s not all gravy. While KFC’s presence abroad is virtually uncontested by other quick service franchises, in Canada there’s much more competition—from fellow fried chicken-focused brands to other deeply entrenched consumer favourites dabbling in deep-fried goods—and much more market to penetrate. Furthermore, true to Sanders’ original vision, KFC primarily set roots in rural and suburban areas and is now catching up in the urban communities where young people and new Canadians—two driving audiences for the brand—live.
Today, KFC Canada finds itself with a need for momentous change to modernize, and fast. For a brand with a bucketful of established goodwill, building on a 70-year legacy is difficult. That required immense change, and for Koon, it started with the reason people go into their restaurants: the chicken.
Rebranding the bird
“The food is at the foundation of why people come to us. And so, when you look at some of the food innovations in the last year, we’ve seen huge success,” says Koon. For starters, the brand adapted its menus to meet the growing popularity of boneless items. Another update is the increase in limited-time offers. When he spoke to Franchise Canada in early December, Koon was excited for the holiday-season launch of the Festive Double Down sandwich. He says consistency is the main deliverable when people enter the store. Creating a sense of connection through partnerships with other staple brands is also a driving factor. In 2022, Ruffles released a chip flavour based on KFC’s original recipe chicken, while a more recent collaboration with Kraft Dinner led to Original Recipe Flavour Mac ‘n Cheese.
The brand is also focused on menu innovations, from new chicken sandwiches to wraps and tenders aimed at drawing in families. After all, as KFC hooks young diners, its potential for loyalty and frequent visits grow.
“All these help to drive crave,” says Koon. “And people come in, where they absolutely love the products that we’re making, and then it’s all about delivering that consistency for the rest of the menu. That’s really what makes this brand successful.”
These, along with the brand’s novel digital marketing methods, feature KFC in radically new contexts and will hopefully introduce the brand to new audiences. To promote the launch of the new seasoned fries, the brand livestreamed a funeral for its old fries. On another occasion, the Colonel was spotted at the Eras Tour dancing, cheering, and soaking in the electric atmosphere alongside the fans. He was also seen courtside at a basketball game celebrating every bucket with Finger Lickin’ Good Cellies.
In addition to changing menus and fresh promotions, Koon aims to expand KFC’s brand presence with trending new technology. New stores are built with a modernized design package, while existing stores will be retrofit to meet the new standard.
“In many of the new restaurants, the first thing you’ll see is a kiosk or a nice display around them. What it’s doing is helping customers order what they want at the pace they want, versus being rushed because of somebody else behind them.” It also gives time back to staff, who can focus on other tasks, rather than playing multiple roles at the register. Koon says the overall restaurant aesthetic as well as the “asset design” all help enhance the customer experience. When visitors walk into an updated restaurant and they’re face to face with LED lights, inviting signage, and clean windows and seating, it feels warmer and more inviting.
En francais, franchisée
Revitalizing the original restaurants across Canada comes with an additional task: pushing deeper into Quebec, a province with its own business stipulations, and one that has challenged English-language businesses. Case in point: the brand goes by PFK in the province, based on language guidelines. But where many see a challenge, Koon sees a creative opportunity.
“One of the unique things about Quebec is that it’s actually one of the only places where we brand KFC under a different title, PFK. It’s also the only place where we offer poutine on the menu. As we’ve opened up the new designs within Quebec, we’ve seen really great success.”
Shifting a brand like KFC takes time and the additional support of franchisees across the country, who are busy in the restaurants engaging the customers and putting Koon’s vision into action. But he says there’s no single profile of a franchisee that defines a “perfect fit” for the brand. “Just like with each individual, each of us have our different strengths and weaknesses and I think for me, it’s all about building a portfolio of strong franchisees across the system.”
Some of the characteristics that do help are having an entrepreneurial spirit, an interest in maintaining the brand, and being okay with getting your hands dirty from an operational perspective and understanding what’s happening in your store.
“There’s lots of great principles and values that we share,” says Koon. “And I think you can see that come to life when you’re working in the stores or when you’re in the corporate environment, and so that’s very important for us, franchisee values and what they’re looking for, to match what we do from a corporation perspective.”
Learn more about franchising with KFC Canada
