Catch the hatch: Marietta announces Big Chicken reopening date
The Big Chicken is finally coming out of its shell.
Since closing in January, the 56-foot avian roadside icon atop a KFC is reopening May 11, the city of Marietta announced on Facebook.
The city linked to the Facebook event, which explains that the eatery will reopen for business at 11 a.m. after a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m.
The renovation was part of an effort to overhaul all 60 metro Atlanta KFCs that KBP Foods owns.
But the 12 Cobb Parkway location deserved special attention, what with the huge chicken and all.
Demolition was completed in mid-February. In late March, the AJC tagged along to snap pictures and video as workers repainted the actual chicken structure.
In all, the changes amount to weathered wood walls and new tiling along with the 55 seats a new patio and separate screened-in porch will provide. There will also be a sign outside reading “The BIG Chicken,” as if it weren’t obvious enough.
The chicken first hatched in 1963. Eleven years later, KFC took over and considered tearing down the bird structure after high winds damaged it in 1993. Obviously, it stayed.
About the Author
Ben Brasch is the reporter tasked with keeping Fulton County government accountable. The Florida native moved to Atlanta for a job with The AJC. If there's something important to you going on in Fulton, he wants to know about it. Help him better metro Atlanta by dropping a line, anonymously or otherwise.
