National Fried Chicken Day is July 6. That’s the day millions of fried chicken lovers will celebrate by eating their favorite entrée. That is also the day local franchise owners will join Lee’s Famous Recipe® Chicken in officially celebrating the company’s 50th Anniversary of serving “fresh, never frozen chicken.”

The Griffith family has been serving Lee’s Famous Recipe® Chicken since 1972--the year Bob and Gladys Griffith purchased their first Famous Recipe® franchises in Springfield. At the time, Bob was serving as Famous Recipe’s® very first company General Manager under company founder Lee Cummings, who also just happened to be Harlan “Colonel” Sanders’ nephew. Cummings had spent his childhood following his famous uncle as he sold his chicken and grew his business.

The Griffith family grew their Lee’s franchise business steadily, opening more stores in Springfield and one in New Carlisle, where the company’s headquarters are still located. Bob and Gladys’ son, Scott, and his wife, Kim, took over the family business 25 years ago. Today, Scott and Kim Griffith operate seven restaurants in Clark, Miami, Shelby, and Logan counties.

Over the years, the Griffiths’ have won several company awards, including “Franchise of the Year (1984, 1997, 2004, and 2013), and “Best Lee’s in the Country” in 1992 for their store on Home Road in Springfield, Ohio. However, the Griffiths’ most impressive business success story might be the one that began during the 2008 financial crisis that crippled many other small American businesses.

With fewer guests visiting their stores in 2008, the Griffiths decided to try boosting sales by taking their product on the road. They began focusing on the catering side of their business. Kim took charge with one clear goal in mind, “We needed to find a way to get our product into people’s hands...people who had never eaten it before. We specialize in comfort food, which is something different from many of the more “traditional” caterers. Chicken, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes...these are dishes that are familiar, and we knew if we could just get people to try our product, we had a good chance they would come back for more.”

Eventually, the move paid off; and not only did the Griffiths’ catering sales increase, day-to-day store sales also improved. In fact, the move was so successful, Lee’s corporate office took notice and contacted Kim to help develop a handbook to help other franchise owners expand their catering businesses as well. Today, Lee’s Famous Recipe® Chicken catering sales have increased nationwide. The Griffiths also now have a catering manager who oversees an average of 50 events a weekend, including nearly 200 weddings a year.

When not minding the store, the Griffiths can often be found participating in and supporting community organizations—many that help improve the job outlook and economic growth of the communities they serve. The Griffiths are involved with “Ohio Means Jobs,” the Western Clark County Business Coalition, several Chambers of Commerce, and the New Carlisle Farmer’s Market, among others. “It’s important that we do everything we can to support job growth. Supporting new businesses and the expansion of existing businesses (brings) more jobs (and) options to the people who live here and improves the community overall,” says Scott.

The Griffiths also support other organizations. Last year their stores raised $7000 for the Salvation Army through the “Red Kettle” campaign; there is a “permanent kettle” located at Springfield’s Columbia Street store that guests can contribute to year-round. Scott recently served as Rotary Club President. The pair also use their business to donate food to many school and community events, but recognize they do have to set up some limits, “Our first priority is our schools...community groups are also important, but the kids are the most important.”

Scott and Kim say their company’s team of loyal team members, managers, and many vendor partners play an integral part in making the running of their Lee’s Famous Recipe® Chicken franchises possible, “Serving our Famous Recipe® Chicken fast and friendly- that’s what our teams do every day.”

In speaking of Lee’s 50th Anniversary, the Griffiths echo the sentiments of Lori Seering, vice president of marketing for Lee’s Famous Recipe® Chicken.

“Our customers have really made these 50 years possible and we want to recognize their loyalty,” says Seering, “We are thrilled about this milestone and hope to continue serving our Famous Recipe® Chicken for years to come. We have a passionate system of franchise owners and employees, this milestone represents their continued dedication to good service...we continue to be humbled by our many loyal customers and are so very proud of our restaurants’ continued success.”

Lee’s Famous Recipe® Chicken is a casual dining franchise founded in Lima, Ohio, in 1966. The company specializes in serving “fresh, never frozen chicken.” There are 135 Lee’s locations in 12 states across America. The Lee’s system has seen 25 consecutive quarters of same store sales growth and saw a 7.7 percent growth in 2015 system sales over 2014.

For more information about the Griffiths, their Lee’s Famous Recipe® franchise, or catering visit http://leeschicken.net/ or call (937) 845-2142.

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