Randy Branstetter – Wild Business Growth Podcast #171: The Chicken Man

It’s Thanksgiving, which means family and business (and sometimes family business) here on the Wild Business Growth Podcast. This year, I had the pleasure of interviewing one of my favorite people – Uncle Randy. Randy Branstetter is known as The Chicken Man for his time as a successful KFC franchisee. And he’s now known as a dynamite podcaster for being this week’s Wild Business Growth Podcast guest. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and your other favorite podcast platforms.

• Episode Summary & Player
• Show Notes
• Wild Business Growth Podcast Summary

Episode 171: Randy Branstetter – The Chicken Man

Randy Branstetter, The Chicken Man, joins the show for a very special family edition during Thanksgiving week to be interviewed by his nephew, Max Branstetter. Hear how he grew a low-volume KFC franchise into an award-winning customer service powerhouse, his famous radio commercials, how to move your business to a new location, stay strong through whatever life throws at you, and his most legendary concert experience. This episode covers everything from billiards to shortening. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

• What was it like having a Chevelle at age 16
• How do you make more friends than enemies
• What did the early days of being a KFC franchisee look like
• How did Randy get into the Chicken Mafia in the first place
• Does he remember any of his radio commercials
• How did he get the nickname Scratch
• Does he like saaaaalad?!?!
• How do you pronounce Louisville

Enjoy the shoooooow! Check out the show notes below for much more detail.

Show Notes

• Intro & Upbringing
  • [0:40] Email me at to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool
  • [1:15] KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken)
  • [2:57] Camaro
  • [3:14] What was it like having a Chevelle at age 16
  • [3:19] Fast & Furious
  • [4:02] What’s drag racing like
  • [4:47] How did they mark off roads for drag racing
  • [5:09] New Washington, IN
  • [5:18] What was Randy’s upbringing like
  • [5:39] Shoutout Grandma Barb!
  • [5:56] El Paso, TX
  • [6:10] Shoutout Grandpa Fred!
  • [6:37] What impact did growing up in 2 worlds have on Randy
  • [6:58] Network
  • [7:46] Purdue
  • [8:05] What impact did 4-H have on Randy
  • [8:37] Babe Ruth (it was .600)
  • [9:20] How do you make more friends than enemies
  • [9:34] Shoutout Dad!
  • [9:43] Shoutout Alana!
  • [10:22] Myrtle Beach, SC
• The Chicken Man Story
  • [11:01] Randy’s Children’s Fables
  • [11:12] Coshocton, OH
  • [11:19] Branstetter Enterprises, Inc.
  • [11:37] How did Randy get into the Chicken Mafia in the first place
  • [11:59] Ford, International Harvester (IH), GE (General Electric)
  • [13:00] Shoutout Larry & Esther Wheeler!
  • [14:07] What did the early days of being a KFC franchisee look like
  • [14:44] Franchise Agreement
  • [15:10] U-Haul
  • [15:49] Volume
  • [16:00] Popcorn Chicken
  • [16:39] Advertising
  • [17:10] Billboards, Reader Board
  • [17:35] QSC = Quality, Service, Cleanliness
  • [18:10] What were Randy’s favorite ways he advertised
  • [18:28] Valpak, Couponing
  • [18:57] Gross Sales
  • [19:07] TV Commercials
  • [19:58] Wendy’s Commercial
  • [20:04] Dave Thomas
  • [20:35] Too perfect. Can’t make this stuff up
  • [20:44] Does Randy remember any of his radio commercials (Yes, yes he does)
  • [21:45] Radio Voice, Podcast Voice
  • [22:05] Brick & Mortar
  • [22:21] How do you move your business to a new location
  • [22:47] Real Estate
  • [23:23] Early 1990s Recession
  • [24:06] KFC Buffets
  • [24:48] Sales
  • [25:29] The Legend of The Chicken Man
  • [25:53] Branding/Rand-ing
  • [26:03] What drove the year-over-year growth
  • [26:10] Employees
  • [26:42] Managers
  • [28:01] Mystery Shoppers
  • [28:49] Back to golf
  • [29:11] Lots of horns being blown
  • [29:59] How do you delegate tasks & responsibilities to your team
  • [30:14] Shoutout the Zoom H6!
  • [31:28] Doc Sheet, Inventory
  • [31:44] Fixed Costs, Insurance
  • [32:06] Excel
  • [32:13] Absentee Owner
  • [33:58] Labor Costs, Product Costs
  • [34:17] What is shortening
  • [34:38] 11 Herbs & Spices
  • [35:09] Salary, Bonus Program
  • [35:51] KFC Convention in New Orleans
  • [36:03] How was Randy’s experience getting an award for customer service
  • [36:33] QSC Award, The Best of the Best Award
  • [37:36] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool
• Inspiration & Creativity: People, Hobbies, and Resources
  • [38:04] A little golf bait & switch
  • [38:18] How did Randy get the nickname Scratch
  • [38:25] Pool (Billiards)
  • [39:29] Randy really was drinking Big Red during the interview
  • [39:45] Country Store, Pool Hall
  • [40:34] Here we go again
  • [42:12] How did Patch-Eye get his nickname
  • [42:33] Podcast
  • [42:48] New Pixar movie Scratch starring Randy
  • [43:23] Shoutout Uncle Jeff!
  • [43:38] What’s Randy’s most memorable concert experience
  • [44:04] Steppenwolf at Freedom Hall
  • [44:08] “Magic Carpet Ride” by Steppenwolf
  • [44:22] Louisville is L-U-L-V-U-L
  • [44:47] Led Zeppelin at Market Square Arena
  • [44:55] The Beatles, Paul McCartney, John Lennon
  • [45:24] Physical Graffiti by Led Zeppelin

• Wild Business Shoutout of the Week
  • [46:10] This segue rocks
  • [46:32] Creative Marketing
  • [47:03] New KFC Chicken Sandwich for $3.99
  • [47:15] What was the price of gas when Randy started his franchisee location
  • [47:35] Gas Wars
• The Unusual: Pet Peeves, Quirks, and Weird Talents
  • [48:13] What is Randy’s biggest pet peeve
  • [48:39] Diet Pepsi, Diet Dr Pepper
  • [49:14] What’s a weird talent Randy has
  • [49:23] Shoutout Aunt Sheri!
  • [49:45] Shoutout Dana!
  • [50:27] What’s a quirk Randy has
  • [50:52] Success!
• Rapid-Fire Q&A
  • [51:07] Original Recipe Breast
  • [51:23] Tiger Woods
  • [51:24] Just a heads up it gets sentimental here <3
  • [51:25] How do you stay positive & optimistic after losing someone close to you
  • [53:12] Sobriety
  • [54:35] A couple lighter ones
  • [54:55] White Castle
  • [55:15] Does Randy like saaaaalad?!?!
  • [55:25] Thank you Randy!!! Love you
  • [56:03] What are Randy’s Final Thoughts
  • [56:48] Follow the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about the podcast
  • [56:59] Check out the Wild Business Growth Podcast on GoodPods, where you can see what your favorite people are listening to
  • [57:03] Connect with me on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn at @MaxBranstetter
  • [57:06] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool
  • Theme music: Freestyle Percussion Magik – “Jungle Tribe” – provided by Jamendo

What is the Wild Business Growth Podcast?

Wild ideas. Wild growth. Every Wednesday morning a new entrepreneur or innovator joins the Wild Business Growth Podcast to share the crazy creative and unusual ways they grew their business, and provides tips for you to do it, too. Hear the woman who became the voice of Siri, the man who’s reinventing the sandcastle, how GaryVee’s partners are turning the wine world upside down, and more wild stories. Hosted by Max Branstetter (that’s me), Founder and Podcast Producer at MaxPodcasting.

How do you start a podcast?

Interested in starting a professional-sounding podcast for your brand, but don’t want to deal with the time commitment of all those behind-the-scenes details? I’ve got you covered. Email me at to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool.

Thanks for listening to Uncle Randy on the Wild Business Growth Podcast. To hear more Wild stories like this one every Wednesday morning, follow the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about it. Then eat some popcorn chicken together. Until next time, Let your business Run Wild…and Bring on the Bongos!!