International companies saw opportunities in this environment.
Restaurants were part of that transformation. The traditional Iranian culinary landscape remained extraordinarily strong—rice dishes, kebabs, stews, bread, tea, and sweets were central to everyday life—but modern restaurants and Western-style food businesses were also becoming increasingly familiar in Tehran.
It was within this environment that the KFC story emerged.
Kentucky Fried Chicken itself had already become a global brand by the late 1960s and 1970s. The image of Colonel Harland Sanders, dressed in his distinctive white suit and black string tie, had become one of the most recognizable corporate identities in the world.
The restaurant’s specialty was simple: chicken prepared with a distinctive blend of herbs and spices, then fried and served quickly in a standardized format.
Today, this may sound ordinary. At the time, however, the arrival of a major American fast-food brand in Tehran was part of a broader international trend. American fast food was becoming a global cultural export.
