KFC this week announced the “next chapter” of plans for its menu items and restaurants, including an emphasis on sauce-drenched boneless chicken and an “immersive” KFC location in Dubai.
Also among the changes announced Monday, the brand quietly introduced a “subtle evolution” of the recognizable Colonel Sanders logo found on the chain’s signage and chicken buckets.
“The brand is evolving its most distinctive assets to feel more relevant, more expressive, and more in tune with modern culture, while staying true to itself and grounded in the Colonel and its iconic ‘Finger Lickin’ Good’ ethos,” reads a KFC press release. “At the center is the bucket — KFC’s most recognizable asset — refreshed with new energy alongside a subtle evolution of the Colonel himself, ensuring the brand’s legacy remains front and center.”
A spokesperson for KFC did not detail how the Colonel Sanders logo had “evolved,” specifically. But a look at the newest design suggests a couple of noticeable differences between previous iterations.
For starters, the Colonel’s glasses appear to be fully outlined in the newer version, rather than just partially outlined, as in previous logos. The hairline on the left side of his head is also more clearly defined.
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Perhaps the biggest difference, though, is what’s new underneath his face: In addition to the Colonel’s signature string tie (sometimes called a Kentucky Colonel Tie or a Western Colonel Tie), the logo now features an outline of Sanders’ lapels, which was missing in some of the previous iterations.
It all amounts to a “subtle” difference, as KFC had said. But it’s a difference that should hopefully go a long way toward avoiding any customer confusion about the tie, which at least some folks had mistakenly (and hilariously) believed to be his tiny body.
In addition to defining the Colonel’s glasses, hairline and body, KFC on Monday revealed plans for further “innovation,” specifically concerning the menu. The company’s press release discussed new offerings to be available in two new menu categories: “Dipped,” featuring boneless chicken tenders and a selection of more than 20 sauces, and “Dunked,” featuring a choice of tenders, wings or a sandwich pre-“drenched” in sauce. A representative for KFC said these items are already available in India and South Africa, with stores in Ireland and the U.K. to adopt it next.
KFC, too, is expanding its KWENCH “beverage platform” to Australia and Canada. The drinks menu, which features coffees, shakes and boba drinks, is currently available in Ireland or the U.K.
KFC’s representative did not say when any of the Dipped, Dunked or KWENCH items would be availalbe stateside.
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In another announcement, the company previewed its “next-gen restaurants,” the first being an open-concept location in McKinney, Texas, slated to open this summer. Another forthcoming location in Dubai, scheduled to open in the fall, is described as a two-story “immersive” restaurant. A representative for KFC told SavorNation that the Dubai restaurant would serve as a “test” for how customers might adapt to “digital storytelling, flexible spaces and sauce-forward menus,” but did not provide more specific details.
“This next chapter brings new energy and expression to what makes us iconic, while doubling down on our chicken and reimagining how fans experience KFC around the world,” Scott Mezvinsky, the CEO of KFC Global, said in this week’s press release.
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