Finger-Lickin' Suit

At the age of 83, Kentucky Colonel Harland Sanders, the goateed alchemist who turned fried chicken into gold, is trying to build a new chain of franchised restaurants. They are to be called "Claudia Sanders 'the Colonel's Lady' Dinner Houses"--so named after Sanders' wife, who is said by associates to be "as sweet as the Colonel is cantankerous." The sitdown restaurants will be quite different from the Kentucky Fried Chicken carry-outs that first made Colonel Sanders a household name. For one thing, a patron will be able to buy lobster--if Sanders can sell franchises. So far, he has not.

Last week he brought a $122 million damage suit against Heublein, Inc., which controls Kentucky Fried. Not that he really needs the money. The Colonel in 1964 sold the system, as well as his "secret formula" and his "Finger Lickin' Good" slogan for $2 million, and earns $250,000 a year from TV commercials, salary ($40,000, now paid by Heublein) and other activities. He charges that Heublein has been pressuring potential purchasers of Claudia Sanders franchises. He claims that Heublein scared away his first prospect by threatening legal action for infringement of trademarks. Heublein retorts that the suit is "without merit."

So far, the only Claudia Sanders restaurant is the Colonel's own, located in Shelbyville, Ky., where he lives. Thus most fast-food fans will have to travel a long way to find out if the Colonel is as handy with a lobster tail as he is with a chicken leg.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.