KFC Went From Seven Straight Losing Quarters to Three Straight Winning Ones — Here’s the Recipe for Their Turnaround
To reinvigorate the company, KFC’s new president, Catherine Tan-Gillespie, tried something unusual — she told customers the truth.
When Catherine Tan-Gillespie took over as president of KFC U.S. last April, the franchise had just posted seven consecutive quarters of negative same-store sales. Domestic systemwide sales were down 4.6% in 2025. Dave’s Hot Chicken was growing 51% and closing in fast. Her response was to do something most brands avoid: admit failure publicly, according to .
The “Kentucky Fried Comeback” campaign acknowledged KFC had lost its way, put Colonel Sanders back at the center of its marketing and asked customers directly for a second chance. “If people can give their ex a million second chances, I hope our fans can give us one,” Tan-Gillespie said. The chain brought back Potato Wedges, launched $10 Tuesdays and leaned into tiered value pricing with $5 bowls and $20 Build a Buckets.
Three consecutive quarters of positive same-store sales later, the Colonel appears to be back in command. The lesson for any franchise operator: sometimes the most powerful marketing strategy is telling customers you screwed up.
When Catherine Tan-Gillespie took over as president of KFC U.S. last April, the franchise had just posted seven consecutive quarters of negative same-store sales. Domestic systemwide sales were down 4.6% in 2025. Dave’s Hot Chicken was growing 51% and closing in fast. Her response was to do something most brands avoid: admit failure publicly, according to .
The “Kentucky Fried Comeback” campaign acknowledged KFC had lost its way, put Colonel Sanders back at the center of its marketing and asked customers directly for a second chance. “If people can give their ex a million second chances, I hope our fans can give us one,” Tan-Gillespie said. The chain brought back Potato Wedges, launched $10 Tuesdays and leaned into tiered value pricing with $5 bowls and $20 Build a Buckets.
Three consecutive quarters of positive same-store sales later, the Colonel appears to be back in command. The lesson for any franchise operator: sometimes the most powerful marketing strategy is telling customers you screwed up.
