CULLMAN, Ala. – The KFC restaurant in the South Cullman Shopping Center has permanently closed, bringing an end to the Kohl and Weir family’s 58-year history as KFC franchise operators.
The restaurant at 1620 Second Ave. SW completed its final shift Sunday, Aug. 16.
Crews were at the property Monday removing the restaurant’s exterior branding, including the iconic red-and-white KFC bucket sign.
The family cited slowing business, changing consumer preferences and increased competition within Cullman’s restaurant market as reasons for the closure.
“This has been an extremely difficult decision,” Owner Kent Weir said.
The family’s Kentucky Fried Chicken business began in Cullman in 1968 when Jack and Blanche Kohl opened their original “chicken store” with assistance from their youngest daughter, Mimi.
That restaurant operated at the location now occupied by Glover’s Market on the city’s southwest side. Kent and Mimi Weir marked their 30th year as KFC franchisees in 2026, while the Kohl family’s connection to the brand extended across nearly six decades.
“This original ‘chicken store’ has been part of the Kohl and Weir family and the Cullman community for generations,” Weir said.
Jack and Blanche Kohl, along with Mimi’s brother, Larue, and his wife, Jane, expanded the family’s KFC business into Guntersville, Boaz, Arab, Hartselle and Hanceville over the years.
The south Cullman restaurant was the family’s final remaining KFC location.
Weir said the restaurant industry bears little resemblance to the market in which the family opened its original Cullman restaurant in 1968.
For much of KFC’s history, the restaurant primarily competed against other businesses serving traditional bone-in fried chicken meals. Competition has since expanded to include restaurants specializing in chicken tenders, nuggets and sandwiches, along with burger restaurants, grocery stores and convenience stores selling prepared chicken.
“The number of places selling chicken in Cullman today is remarkable,” Weir said.
Cullman’s continued population, commercial and restaurant growth has provided consumers with considerably more dining options than were available during much of the south Cullman KFC’s history.
Weir said the restaurant was no longer competing solely with another fried chicken business across town. Instead, it faced competition from nearly every segment of Cullman’s expanding restaurant and prepared-food market.
The closure does not leave Cullman without a KFC restaurant. The location at 5799 Alabama Highway 157 is operated by a separate KFC franchisee and remains open.
The closure announcement did not identify a future use for the south Cullman property.
The Kohl and Weir family thanked the generations of employees, customers and families who supported the business throughout its 58 years in Cullman.
