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 icon will mostly be getting new paint and other cosmetic 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.”
The rest of the restaurant, on the other hand, is getting a thorough makeover, 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 new “BIG CHICKEN” sign, a screened porch, outdoor eating area and new facade.
Inside, 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 cooks in action.
The remodeling is part of a goal to upgrade 70 percent of its restaurants over the next three years, Cahoe said.
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 opened in 1963 as the Johnny Reb’s Chick, Chuck and Steak restaurant. Originally both the eyes and beak moved, but the mechanism that rolled the eyes casued vibrations that often broke the restaurant’s windows, and had to be shut down after a few months.
In 1993, much of the original Big Chicken’s structure had to be replaced after it was damaged by a storm.
— Ben Brasch contributed to this article.
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