After more than two months of renovation work, the wait is finally over for KFC fans. The restaurant will reopen this Monday with business hours from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

For chicken lovers, the wait has been tiring. The restaurant closed Nov. 4 with hopes of having renovation work done by Christmas. But like so many projects, it's taken slightly longer than expected.

The most noticeable change is a new dining room that's 100 percent remodeled. There's a new buffet serving area, a new drink station, wheelchair-accessible bathrooms and new kitchen equipment.

“We’re expecting a 25 percent increase in sales when we reopen and we were already doing pretty well as it was," said store manager David Owens. "This will put us in line with the Murfreesboro stores.”

Our KFC was due for some tender, loving care. The restaurant hadn’t been remodeled since it was made into a KFC/ Long John Silvers. For those with long memories, that happened in 2004.

It promises to be a Christmastime feel with warmth and happiness in the air when KFC reopens Monday morning. Some customers might not sleep well the night before in anticipation of the big event.

Eat lightly on Sunday so you bring a healthy appetite to the counter when KFC reopens its doors.