Text 31589, 59 rader
Skriven 2015-10-04 19:43:00 av JIM WELLER (1:123/140)
Ärende: YK resto 1
==================
The 47 year old KFC is closed and being remodelled, soon to open
again as an independent burger and chicken place by the third
generation of the Jason family. You may wonder why a fast food place
that has thousands of clones is getting so much local buzz
publicity, so here is a little background.

Yellowknife came of age in the 60's. Previously we were a remote
little gold mining camp that seemed as far away to most people as
fabled Timbuktu. We didn't have a road linking us to the south until
1960. The airport didn't get paved runways that could accommodate
small jets (737s) and a terminal with a modern control tower until
1964. In 1967 we became the territorial capital and by 1968 our
population doubled (from 3000 to 6000 people) as a result. We built
a 37 bed hospital to replace the 4 bed one attached to our first
doctor's house. That was also the first year we had a tall enough
building to warrant an elevator that wasn't a mine's head shaft. KFC
was the first national name to set up here and was just as much a
signal as the brand new legislative assembly and court house that we
had arrived.

The store was history making in other ways too. It was the only one
in North America that was ever allowed (with a handshake deal
between H. Sanders and the Jason patriarch) to offer burgers, as old
man Jason already had a very successful burger joint (currently my
office building) which he wouldn't give up.

It was the only one to routinely air ship 30 to 1000 pieces of
chicken to mine sites and small towns in an area 1.4 million square
miles in size.

It has catered more weddings, wakes, community reunions and
conventions than any other fast food outlet in the world.

It has been one of the 10 most profitable outlets in Canada for 47
years running (and usually number #1) despite our town's small size.

For decades it was the world's most northerly KFC until Fairbanks and
Reykjavik, Iceland got theirs.

The last weekend it was open the Jasons ordered over four times as
much chicken as usual and planned to run until midnight Sunday but
ran out of food early Saturday evening, the demand for a last meal
was so high. I don't eat there often but ever since they announced
in July that they were closing I've had a craving. It got satisfied
nicely as the office bought a 30 piece bucket and sides the second
last week. And then Neekha who was visiting and never eats KFC down
in Edmonton where she lives and which has so many food choices,
bought a 20 piece bucket with sides for the house too. Now that I
can't have it I miss it!


        

YK Jim


___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.20
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
 * Origin: Check Out Doc's QWK Mail  Via Web BBS > DocsPlace.org  (1:123/140)