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The re-colonelization of KFCThe re-colonelization of KFC

The inside story of how the return of Colonel Sanders’ values brought KFC back to life

Jonathan Maze, Senior Financial Editor

February 25, 2017

12 Min Read
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Harland Sanders, known by most as Colonel Sanders, died in 1980. But that didn’t stop him from making a celebrated return two years ago to the fried chicken chain he founded. And the results have been astounding.

The Louisville-based chain has reinserted Sanders into everything it does. While most of America sees this in the form of its buzz-generating advertisements featuring a series of actors and comedians playing the Sanders role, the re-colonelization of KFC goes much deeper.

Sanders is on a website. His face is on the company’s redesigned locations. And, perhaps most importantly, the company has reinserted his principles deep inside its restaurants to ensure products are made with speed and quality.

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About the Author

Jonathan Maze

Senior Financial Editor, Nation's Restaurant News

Jonathan Maze covers finance for Nations Restaurant News, as well as restaurant chains based in the Midwest.

Jonathan came to NRN in 2014 after seven years covering restaurants for Franchise Times Magazine and the Restaurant Finance Monitor. There, he created an award-winning blog that reported on and analyzed the restaurant industry. He is routinely quoted in various mainstream press articles, including the Associated Press, Washington Post, Orlando Sentinel, Denver Post and Yahoo! Finance. He lives in a suburb of Minneapolis with his wife, two children and their cat.

Reach Jonathan at [email protected], or by phone at 651 633-6526.

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