One year after KFC brought back Colonel Sanders, business is better than it had been in years

One year after KFC brought back Colonel Sanders, business is better than it had been in years

But the chain needs to accomplish one thing if it wants to truly come back: persuade Americans to trust its food

"In the birthplace of this brand, KFC hasn’t done well in decades," KFC’s chief marketing officer, Kevin Hochman, told Business Insider during a visit to the chain’s Louisville, Kentucky, headquarters

As the chain exploded internationally, sales stagnated and locations rapidly shuttered in the US. KFC has lost more than 1,200 restaurants in the US in the past 14 years, going from 5,472 locations in 2002 to 4,270 restaurants today

At the same time, business has been booming for its rival Chick-fil-A, which passed KFC as the No. 1 chicken chain in the US by sales in 2013 with half as many locations

Chick-fil-A restaurants sell three times as much as KFC locations — and it’s made the chicken chain No. 1 in the industry

In 2014, Chick-fil-A’s average sales per restaurant were $3.1 million, the greatest of any fast-food chain in the US. In comparison, KFC sold $960,000 per restaurant that year

The reason for Chick-fil-A’s dominance is a mix of excellent food and superior customer service, according to many analysts

The chain consistently ranks first in restaurant customer-service surveys, with customers raving about the restaurants’ cleanliness, quick, convenient service, and hardworking employees

To turn business around, KFC last year turned to the man who started it all: Colonel Harland Sanders. The chain is now undergoing a "Re-Colonelization," reinventing its menu, remodeling restaurants, and retraining employees across the US. Sales are rising, with growth every quarter since the Colonel’s return