A Special Sunday Service: KFC Offers 10-Piece Buckets (and Charity Choir Gigs) … All for a Song

To Herald the Arrival of Its New 10 Buck Sunday Buckets, KFC Asks Congregations and Communities to Nominate Cash-Strapped Choirs to Sing In-Restaurant for $1,000 Grants

LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Now here’s a Sunday choir performance (and dinner deal) worth singing about. Combining the beloved weekend traditions of choir singing and family dinner, KFC is opening its restaurant doors to choirs in the hopes of raising the roof – and some funds for financially struggling choirs nationwide – as part of a new national pilot program.

From drumsticks to rhythm sticks, KFC has committed to making $1,000 grants to choral organizations across the country to support its new 10 Buck Sunday Buckets. The chain kicked off the promotion with The St. Louis Children's Choirs at a KFC restaurant in St. Louis, Mo. Interested choirs should email KFCSundayBuckets@gmail.com. (Photo: Business Wire)

To launch its new 10-piece 10 Buck Sunday Bucket deal, Kentucky Fried Chicken is offering 11 struggling choirs across the country $1,000 grants to help keep their harmonies alive.

Members of The St. Louis Children’s Choirs kicked off the program at a KFC restaurant in St. Louis on Sunday, singing for surprised and delighted customers and taking musical direction from a special guest conductor: the KFC Colonel. KFC also issued an open letter to choral organizations nationwide, asking them to describe how they could make beautiful music in a KFC near them. 11 choirs will each receive $1,000 and have the opportunity to sing at a local KFC.

“We’re thrilled to be a part of this program celebrating some of Sunday’s best: choir singing and family dinner,” said Barbara Berner, Artistic Director of The St. Louis Children's Choirs, which was the initial choir selected for a $1,000 donation and a performance at the KFC 10-piece 10 Buck Sunday Bucket kick-off. “Singing is a joyful pursuit, but we know that budgets are tight for many choirs around the country. KFC teaming up with local choir organizations is a harmonious collaboration that will allow us to bring even more people in our community together this year.”

In today’s economy, non-profit organizations, especially those in the performing arts arena, have been particularly hard-hit. KFC’s offer is an opportunity to keep the music playing for choirs representing any house of worship, school, community or civic organization.

“Colonel Sanders was always passionate about giving back, so the chance for KFC to support local choirs was a natural fit,” said Barry Westrum, chief marketing officer for KFC. “Especially in these tough economic times, we hope these live choral performances and our 10 Buck Sunday Buckets will be music to our customer’s ears, especially on a day that’s always been about coming together.”

Choirs interested in participating in the program should send an inquiry email with their organization’s name and contact information to KFCSundayBuckets@gmail.com. Nominations will be accepted until March 31.

KFC’s 10 Buck Sunday Bucket

KFC’s 10 Buck Sunday Bucket features 10 pieces of KFC chicken for only $10 (plus tax). The offer is available for Original Recipe™, Extra Crispy™ or Kentucky Grilled Chicken™ at participating KFC restaurants coast-to-coast. Customers may also mix recipes in their Sunday Buckets – 10 pieces for $10, any recipe, any way, every Sunday. (Offer available for a limited time at participating KFC^® restaurants. Prices may vary. Tax extra. Extra charge for breast piece substitution.)

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About KFC

KFC Corporation, based in Louisville, Ky., is the world’s most popular chicken restaurant chain specializing in Original Recipe®, Extra Crispy™, Kentucky Grilled Chicken® and Crispy Strips with home-style sides, Honey BBQ Wings, and freshly made chicken sandwiches including the Double Down™ and the Doublicious™. There are more than 15,000 KFC outlets in 109 countries and territories around the world serving some 12 million customers each day. KFC Corporation is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., Louisville, Ky. (NYSE: YUM). For more information, visit www.kfc.com. Follow KFC on Facebook (www.facebook.com/KFC) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/kfc_colonel).

About Colonel Sanders

The Kentucky Fried Chicken concept was pioneered by Colonel Harland Sanders (1890-1980), whose cooking career began at age six. Sanders held jobs ranging from streetcar conductor to insurance salesman, but his cooking skills were a constant throughout his life. In 1930, Sanders operated a service station in Corbin, Ky., and filled the stomachs of hungry travelers who stopped in to fill up their gas tanks. Sanders soon moved his restaurant across the street when he could no longer keep up with the demand from travelers who he had been feeding at his kitchen table. In 1935, the Kentucky Governor made Sanders an honorary Kentucky Colonel for his contributions to the state’s cuisine. Over the next decade, the Colonel perfected his secret blend of 11 herbs and spices and the basic cooking technique still used at KFC today. When Sanders was 65, a new interstate highway forced the closure of his restaurant and he was left with only his recipe for fried chicken and a $105Social Security check. The Colonel hit the road and struck handshake deals with restaurant owners who agreed to sell his fried chicken. What began as a dream fueled by the Original Recipe, a no-quit attitude and a Social Security check grew into the world’s largest chicken restaurant chain. Until he passed away in 1980 at the age of 90, the Colonel still traveled 250,000 miles a year visiting KFC restaurants around the world.

March 16, 2011

To America’s Choir Directors:

In today’s troubled economy, we know many choirs have scaled back their performances and curtailed concert opportunities. But now, KFC is combining the beloved Sunday traditions of choir singing and family dinner by opening our restaurant doors to choirs coast-to-coast in an effort to raise the roof – and some funds – for financially struggling choirs.

To help launch our new 10 Buck Sunday Buckets, we’re channeling the generous spirit of Colonel Sanders and raising our own voices in search of 11 choirs to sing for our customers and receive a $1,000 grant for their organization.

We hope these live in-restaurant performances will help local choirs spotlight their favorite songs, while spreading a little joy in communities coast to coast.

Interested choirs – whether from houses of worship, schools or community and civic organizations – should email KFCSundayBuckets@gmail.com and tell us why their choir is “So Good” it deserves to sing at a local KFC and earn the grant.

In these tough economic times, we hope these live performances will help spread KFC’s new 10 Buck Bucket value to customers on Sundays, the day of the week when coming together is so important.

We’re looking forward to celebrating Sunday together.

Sincerely,

John CywinskiGeneral Manager, KFC U.S.

To respond to this offer, please contact us via email at KFCSundayBuckets@gmail.comby March 31, 2011.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6648874&lang=en

KFC CorporationRick Maynard, 502-874-8100
rick.maynard@kfc.com
or
Weber Shandwick
Vusi Moyo, 312-397-6629
vmoyo@webershandwick.com

Source: KFC Corporation