Scott Dickinson, 46, continues to serve chicken made with Col. Sander's secret herb and spice recipe, but he admits the restaurant industry faces a host of new expectations.

One of the biggest hurdles, says Dickinson, owner of Dickinson Northwest, Inc., Vancouver, will be implementing a change in the way fried food is prepared. Parent company Louisville-based KFC Corp. is making the change in response to mounting health concerns over the trans fat contained in most industry cooking oils. The company has announced plans to ban the artery clogging oils from its 11,000-restaurant chain. The corporatewide switch is expected in April.

Dickinson said his restaurants have already switched to a cooking oil that contains 50 percent less trans fat. He hopes to be one of the first KFC chains to begin using the newer, trans-fat-free product but Dickinson said the corporate changeover will depend on the company's two-year effort to ramp up supplies.

"Right now, there's not enough trans-fat-free oil of this type in the world for all of our KFC restaurants," Dickinson said.

The company's biggest challenge was to find a healthier oil that didn't change the taste of the product, he said.

He has not yet tried food prepared in the new trans-fat-free oil, but Dickinson said he's certain the change won't compromise flavor. "Our customers wouldn't stand for it," he said.

He's now taking steps to educate his staff of 160 employees about the new product. "I want everybody to realize what it means, because eventually the customers are going to ask and it's our job to let them know."

He expects companywide support from the KFC corporate parent. "The great thing about franchising is you have a successful model that sets the standards; everything from how long it should take to wait on a customer to how we should prepare the food," Dickinson said.

Early KFC connection
A summer afternoon spent with Col. Harland Sanders back in 1976 was the thrill of a lifetime for Dickinson.

An impressionable 16-year-old at the time, Dickinson still remembers promoting products with Sanders, founder of one of the nation's first restaurant franchise companies, Kentucky Fried Chicken.

"We went all over downtown Portland handing out dinner boxes to people because that was what the colonel wanted to do," Dickinson said.

Back then, Clark County's only KFC franchise belonged to Dickinson's father, Chuck Dickinson, who bought a franchise in 1961 and opened the area's first stand-alone KFC restaurant in 1962.

DICKINSON NORTHWEST INC. • President: Scott Dickinson • Headquarters: 1203 N.E. 78th St., Vancouver • What: Eight-store chain of Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants in Clark County and St. Helens, Oregon • Employees: 160 • Established: 1962 • Looking ahead: Restaurants will switch to 100-percent trans-fat-free cooking oil by April. Remodels planned for Hazel Dell, Camas and St. Helens stores over the next 18 months • On the Web: www.kfcdickinson.com

By 1979, the business had blossomed into a string of five sites. Scott Dickinson finished high school and went right to work for his father. Five years later, Scott Dickinson struck a deal with his father and became part-owner.

The son now owns the franchise, which has grown to include eight KFC sites throughout the region.

Evolving challenges
Dickinson admits it's more difficult for potential franchisees to enter the business in today's oversaturated markets where existing businesses are sometimes protective and territorial. "And, it costs about $1.5 million to build a new restaurant," Dickinson said.

He plans to spend $775,000 remodeling three of his KFC sites over the next two years, as he continues to oversee the longtime operation.As for his company's long history of doing business in the region, Dickinson credits a set of basic rules. "People need to trust you," Dickinson said.

If faced with the choice, he would choose a career in the restaurant industry again. "I'm corny enough to think it's an honor when people trust me enough to serve them food."