As a long-time retail branding and design guy, Brian Seitz felt strongly that Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken had a great story to tell, as well as solid growth potential. Personally, he had fond memories of enjoying meals at Lee’s while growing up in Lima, Ohio, where the chain was founded nearly 60 years ago. Professionally, he led the team at Columbus, Ohio-based Chute Gerdeman, the design and branding consultancy tapped in 2022 by Lee’s owner and CEO Ryan Weaver, to help modernize and revitalize the legacy QSR.
After nearly two years of working on a full rebrand and fresh prototype design for Lee’s, Seitz’s enthusiasm for the brand grew to the point where, in late August 2025, he jumped the fence to the client side. Exiting what Seitz called his “dream job” at Chute Gerdeman, where he’d been a partner since 2021, he signed on as Lee’s new director of store design and construction. He’s now part of the team ushering the 130-plus-unit QSR — known for honey-dipped and hand-breaded chicken, homestyle sides, and fresh biscuits — into a new era.
Just a few months into the job, he’s enjoying — and adjusting to — his own new era in chain restaurant leadership.
Why was the opportunity to work on Lee’s branding and design evolution so appealing?
BS: I had fond memories of this food and of the Lee’s experience from childhood, so as soon as we got the note from Ryan asking us to submit a proposal, I was all in. It wasn’t just because of my personal nostalgia for the brand, but also because it’s such a legacy brand and one that hadn’t had a substantial change to its overall look and feel for several decades. I saw it as an opportunity for us to be able to jump in and run as fast as we could toward a solution that would help it grow.
At what point did you get serious about moving from the agency to the client side?
BS: As we got closer to implementation, I remember having a conversation with Ryan and Dan [Sokolik, Lee’s VP of marketing], and saying, “OK, we’re designing this new prototype, and then you guys are going to come back to us with a zillion questions on every remodel because there’s nobody on your team managing design and construction.” We’d end up feeling like the agency was nickel-and-diming them because the meter starts with every phone call. We made it work for a while, but the more I thought about it, the more I felt that this could be a fantastic role for me. I could transition over to the brand and ensure that the new prototype and branding would get carried through. In the agency world, we typically create these prototypes, hand off renderings and a design concept, and then lose touch. I wanted this time, with this brand, to be different.
Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken has undergone a brand evolution. Images courtesy of Lee's Famous
Rebranding a legacy concept is a balancing act. What has been key to your approach?
BS: Early on, we conducted consumer research in several Lee’s markets to learn what consumers felt about this brand so that we weren’t just coming in cold and saying, “Hey, here’s what we think.” The research gave us some clear direction, and we used what we learned to create the foundation for the new branding and prototype design.
We then took the new designs, along with the data gathered through our consumer research, and spoke at Lee’s annual franchisee convention. There, we introduced the work that we were starting and began to build trust. We wanted to make sure franchisees understood that the design team was well informed and that their leadership had done its homework to select a great agency partner. That was in 2022, and I’ve spoken at every Lee’s convention since. This year will be my first doing so as a brand employee, which will be fun.
In what ways did the research learnings inform Lee’s new design?
BS: Most of our stores are in rural markets, and it was amazing to learn from consumers how this brand becomes a family dining space in those communities. We heard things like, “We’re here every Wednesday night,” or “We come every Sunday after church and pull the tables together for 8 or 12 of us.” But those same consumers also told us that the brand felt old and tired, and many of them didn’t know anything about Lee Cummings, who started the brand. It’s a great legacy, in part because Lee was a nephew of Colonel Harland Sanders of KFC fame. So there was this great story out there that we thought could be retold in a clean, fresh and modern way.
One challenge, however, was the fact that so much business now comes through the drive-thru, and that’s continuing to grow. But we still need inviting dining rooms for those special family outings that consumers told us they value, when it’s not unusual to fill 50-60 seats. We had to update the dining room, make it feel inviting and comfortable, but not push it too far. It had to feel like a smart evolutionary step. We did that through color, material, texture, branding elements and by incorporating varied seating options for different dining occasions. We have a nice farm table that seats eight; we have banquettes, booths, loose tables and window counter seats.
We’ve also made a big push to feature the legacy of Lee’s, using images of Lee Cummings and vintage store prints on the walls, while introducing fresh new elements. One is a new brand icon, a hen that we named Helen, used in signage and packaging.
But the focus on drive-thru is still strong?
BS: Yes. It accounts for 70% to 80% of sales. Moving forward, we’ll invest in dual drive-thrus wherever possible. And we’ve amped up the drive-thru from the design side, using presale boards, the canopy, ordering post, menu and even the building exterior to make sure it feels like a Lee’s experience even if you’re sitting in line in your car.
What’s the growth target for Lee’s in the near future?
BS: We currently operate more than 130 restaurants across 12 states. Our strongest presence is in the Midwest, with recent growth accelerating in Ohio, Kentucky and Michigan. We hope to more than double our footprint over the next five years with a strategic mix of ground-up builds and conversions. We’ll be filling in white space in existing markets and also exploring opportunities in neighboring states.
Now that you’re on the client side, has your thinking around the redesign initiative at Lee’s changed in any significant ways?
BS: When you’re on the agency side, it can be tough to fully grasp that franchisees are ultimately the ones you’re relying on to implement the changes you’re designing. We’re not a giant franchise with the muscle to come in with “scrape and replace” mandates. So part of that shift in thinking for me has been around how to prioritize and phase in changes to ensure brand consistency while also being very mindful of what we’re asking franchisees to spend money on. To that end, we’ve categorized every aspect of the new design and branding initiative as required, encouraged or optional. We want to help folks get the biggest bang for their buck as we work together to get this implemented.
