Marietta’s landmark Big Chicken — or at least the building attached to it — will be getting new plumage in coming weeks as part of a $2 million renovation.
But don’t worry — Cobb County folks will still be able to give directions based on the big bird.
According to KFC, which has a franchise restaurant at the location, the roadside landmark will mostly be getting new paint and other re-furbishing touches.
“We’re not really changing the chicken structure,” said Brian Cahoe, KFC’s chief development officer.”We look at the Big Chicken as one of our hero assets. I would say it’s one of a kind in the world.”
But the rest of the restaurant, on the other hand, is getting a thorough make-over inside and out, according to KFC and KPB Foods, the restaurant owner and franchisee.
Starting Monday, the restaurant will be closed for about 12 weeks to add a screened porch, outdoor eating area and new facade.
Inside the restaurant, the company is adding a new chandelier based on KFC’s trademark chicken buckets, a mural of the state, a shopping area and a glass wall where customers can watch the restaurant’s cooks in action.
The re-modeling project is part of a company’s goal to upgrade 70 percent of its restaurants over the next three years, said Cahoe.
But he said the $2 million KPB Foods is spending on the Big Chicken restaurant is considerably more than what most of the upgrades cost, because of the project’s more ambitious plans and the larger size of the restaurant.
About 40 of the nearly 90 KFC restaurants in the metro Atlanta market already have the new look, he said.
“Marietta’s Big Chicken is a local landmark that we are proud to preserve,” said Mike Kulp, president and CEO of KBP Foods, which owns about 60 KFC restaurants.
The Big Chicken wasn’t originally a KFC outlet. It originally opened in 1963 as the Johnny Reb’s Chick, Chuck and Steak restaurant.
In 1993, much of the original Big Chicken’s structure had to be replaced after it was damaged by a storm.
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