PETA Proposes New Recipe for Original KFC Headquarters: A Chicken Empathy Museum

For Immediate Release:
July 13, 2026

Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382

With the original KFC headquarters and Claudia Sanders Dinner House headed for the auction block this month, PETA sent a letter today to the firm handling the sale inquiring if the current owners would considering donating the historic Shelbyville property to PETA, even temporarily, so that it can be transformed into the world’s first Chicken Empathy Museum.

The attraction would feature exhibits revealing chickens’ remarkable intelligence, sociability, and unique personalities—and display meat grinders, shackles, and other equipment used to torment and kill birds to help visitors confront the horrific reality of the meat industry. The museum would also feature iconic memorabilia—such as PETA’s beloved “Not a Nugget” chicken costume—as well as a finger lickin’ good café where visitors could dig into vegan chicken tenders and wings.

“A Chicken Empathy Museum would give a kind new legacy to this landmark and challenge visitors to recognize the thinking, feeling individuals behind every bucket of bird’s body parts,” says PETA Founder Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA would be delighted to transform the Colonel’s former headquarters into a place that inspires compassion over cruelty.”

Chickens form strong bonds, dream when they sleep, and worry about the future, just as humans do—but in the meat industry, chickens are confined by the tens of thousands to severely crowded, filthy sheds and bred to grow such unnaturally large upper bodies that their legs often become crippled under the weight. At slaughterhouses, mechanized blades slit their throats—often while they’re still conscious—and many drown in scalding hot de-feathering tanks.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that when it comes to the ability to feel pain, hunger, and thirst, a chicken is a dog is a boy. PETA’s free vegan starter kit can help anyone looking to make the switch. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

PETA’s letter to the auction firm follows.

July 13, 2026

Bill Menish

Owner and Managing Director

The Menish Group

Dear Mr. Menish:

Greetings! I’m writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals—PETA entities have more than 10.4 million members and supporters globally, including over 72,000 in Kentucky—in response to news that The Menish Group will be auctioning off the original KFC headquarters and Claudia Sanders Dinner House. Rather than seeing this historic property be sold to the highest bidder, we hope it can be given a new, positive purpose. Would you be willing to inquire on our behalf as to whether the Settle family would consider allowing PETA to borrow the property, which would be a tax-deductible donation, so that we could transform it into a Chicken Empathy Museum? Please allow me to elaborate.

You may not realize that KFC’s chickens are bred to grow so fast that their legs, hearts, and lungs can’t keep up and that they are violently killed when they’re just 5 to 6 weeks old. PETA investigations into KFC’s chicken suppliers have documented horrific cruelty to these birds. At Tyson Foods—one of the chain’s main suppliers—a worker broke a chicken’s back by slamming the bird against a rail. Another worker stabbed birds in the neck. A PETA investigator recorded a supervisor saying it was acceptable to rip the heads off live birds who had been improperly shackled. These abuses are not isolated incidents. Each year, more than 9 billion chickens are killed for food in the U.S. Most spend their lives crammed together into filthy factory farms and endure painful beak and other mutilations before being tossed into crates thrown onto trucks for a frightening trip to the slaughterhouse.

It’s easy to forget where meat comes from when animals are reduced to “tenders” and “nuggets.” A Chicken Empathy Museum would challenge that disconnection by revealing the lives behind the labels. Visitors would discover that chickens can perform basic math, communicate through a sophisticated language, recognize over 100 individual faces, and form lasting social bonds. The museum would also display meat grinders, shackles, and other equipment used to mutilate and kill birds.

Our museum would also feature PETA’s beloved “Not a Nugget” chicken costume, along with a vegan café where visitors could enjoy delicious cruelty-free meals. At a time when plant-based foods are readily accessible, there is no reason to continue killing animals. We hope you’ll consider helping transform this historic property from a symbol of a painful past into a landmark for a kinder future. Thank you for your time and consideration. We look forward to hearing from you.

Very truly yours,

Ingrid Newkirk

Founder