Way back when: When fried chicken went to war on Peace St.

Courtesy of the Canton-Madison County Historical Society

In January 1976, the Birmingham-based restaurant, Jack’s, opened its 68th location at 182 E. Peace Street in Canton (now Picante’s Tacos & Tequila).

The arrival of the franchise brought significant fanfare and local media coverage - even the restaurant’s six-foot mascot, QuarterJack, made an appearance.

Jack’s opening, however, provoked a “military response” from rival Kentucky Fried Chicken down the road at 707 E. Peace Street (now Penn’s Fish House).

On January 22, 1976, Colonel Sanders himself arrived on the streets of Canton to bolster morale and rally the defense.

But at age 85, the old Colonel had become critical of KFC’s direction, remarking that cost-cutting measures diminished the quality of KFC’s food.  He would later say that his chain’s mashed potatoes and gravy tasted like “wallpaper paste.”

Indeed, Mr. Sanders chose to dine at The James Brothers Restaurant while in Canton.

Although this deep-fried feud between restaurants produced no casualties, a measurable blow to Canton’s cholesterol was recorded by those who know such things.