KFC has had enough of the white man with the white beard in the white suit telling millions of often non-white customers to lick their fingers in the coronavirus era. So, the fried chicken staple of southern cuisine is moving forward with a bold new campaign to guarantee that chickens won't be the only ones feeling the Bern.
On Tuesday, KFC's parent company, Yum! Brands announced a total brand redesign for the $5 billion fast-food chain. "After nearly 70 years as the face of 'finger-lickin' good'", Yum! Brands CEO David Gibbs said in a statement, "we believe Colonel Harland Sanders has earned his retirement."
"After nearly 70 years as the face of 'finger-lickin' good... we believe Colonel Harland Sanders has earned his retirement."But in stark contrast to the corporate giant's sweet send away, KFC's Twitter account hinted at a possibly deeper motive for the rebranding. Earlier this month, comments resurfaced on Twitter from back in June 2020. At the time, fellow mega-brands like Aunt Jemima, Cream of Wheat, and Uncle Ben's Rice were busy announcing plans to retire their mascots amid the nationwide reckoning over race. But KFC made one swift but revealing commitment of its own.
On June 3, 2020, the chain's official account tweeted out, "We support our Black team members, partners, and customers. We are committed to using our voice to speak up, but more importantly, using this time to listen, learn, and act to create positive social change. We have to do more. We will do more."
However, as of March 10, 2021, when activists on Twitter reminded the company of its commitment, no "more" had been done. So in response, KFC released another statement:
"KFC is committed to action, not just words, to address racism toward the Black community. We don't have all the answers yet, but we're listening, learning, and getting started. And we've heard you. KFC is aware of and apologizes for any harm we have caused through the spread of offensive stereotypes, including the use of a white, southern man — notably from a former slave state — to sell fried chicken, another harmful anti-Black stereotype that we at KFC are committed to ending."
But those who took the statement to mean that KFC would no longer be selling fried chicken gave a sigh of relief when news broke that only the iconic logo would be changing.
Still, the company's new face may prove to be no less controversial. In its official rebranding statement, KFC announced that as a sign of commitment to change, healing, and equity, the chain has signed an agreement with a much more anti-racist, but no less old and white man named "Sanders" — Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.
Senator Sanders only agreed to license his likeness to KFC if the company raised its minimum wage to $15 an hour.But the agreement didn't come for free. According to sources with knowledge of the deal, Senator Sanders only agreed to license his likeness to KFC if the company raised its minimum wage to $15 an hour and provided every employee with Medicare.
Indeed, KFC's press release does go on to boast of a new $15 an hour minimum wage for all employees. But plans to instate Medicare for all were not included. Instead, KFC announced that its current healthcare plan is now available for even part-time workers to opt-in.
Senator Sanders' office could not be reached for comment on whether KFC's expanded healthcare plan satisfies his Medicare for All demand. But Bernie's Twitter page suggests that it likely did. Early this morning, Sanders' account unveiled KFC's new logo, sporting his now-officially trademarked curmudgeonly face, along with the simple caption:
"April Fools.'"