Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken returns to Monticello with Oct. 1 grand opening

Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken is opening a new Monticello, Kentucky, location on Sept. 28, with a grand opening celebration set for Oct. 1. A group of local owners, including Mayor Kenneth "Kenny" D. Catron, is bringing the restaurant back after the town’s previous Lee’s closed about five years ago.

Why it matters: - Monticello is getting back a familiar fried chicken spot after a roughly five-year absence. - The new restaurant is being led by local owners and community leaders, including the town’s mayor, which ties the reopening directly to hometown investment. - The opening adds another location for a chain that has built its brand around fresh, never-frozen chicken and community-based franchise ownership.

What happened: - Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken opened a new location at 296 Cumberland Crossing in Monticello on Monday, Sept. 28. - The grand opening celebration is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 1. - The Monticello Chamber of Commerce will hold a ribbon cutting at 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 1. - The ownership group includes Mayor Kenneth "Kenny" D. Catron, Dr. Dustin Wells, Brandon Gehring, Dwight Gregory, City Councilman Allan K. Hopper, Zach Crouch, Brandy Branscum, Marlene Coffey and Derek Dishman.

The details: - Catron also works as an insurance agent. - Wells is an emergency physician at Wayne County Hospital and EMS medical director. - Gehring runs an Amazon delivery service partner business and served eight years with the Monticello Fire Department. - Gregory is a retired city street foreman and owner of Gregory's Towing and Auto. - Hopper is a partner in Happy Hoppers Coffee & More. - Wells said he grew up eating at Lee’s with his father and wants to create the same tradition for his own family. - Guests at the opening can expect fresh, never-frozen chicken. - Lee’s has been ranked among the top 10 fast food fried chicken brands in the USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards four years in a row. - Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken says the chain has more than 130 locations in 12 U.S. states and Canada, and most are individually owned and operated. - Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken was founded in Lima, Ohio. - For more information about the new Monticello location, visit the company’s website, find Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken - Monticello, KY on Facebook, or follow @leeschicken.monticelloky on Instagram.

Between the lines: - The reopening is as much a local civic project as a restaurant launch. - The ownership group is made up of people with visible roles in Monticello’s business, public safety and government communities. - Lee’s is using the Monticello comeback to reinforce its franchise pitch around hometown operators who already have community ties. - Ryan Weaver, CEO of Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken, said the Monticello story fits the company’s 60th year and reflects what the brand looks for in franchise partners.

What’s next: - The Oct. 1 ribbon cutting and grand opening will mark the restaurant’s formal welcome to the community. - The local ownership group will now try to turn the nostalgia around Lee’s into steady traffic and a long-term neighborhood fixture.

The bottom line: - Monticello’s Lee’s return is a local reopening with a civic angle, not just a new chicken restaurant.