KFC franchisees in the United States are suing the owners of the fast-food chain over its marketing campaigns and new focus on providing healthier food choices.

The franchise, renowned for its fried chicken, has recently shifted its direction and spent considerable amounts of money on advertising its new grilled chicken meals. Aus Food News reports that franchisees believe KFC is focusing too strongly on these new products and not on their cornerstone fried products.

The complaint centres around who is in charge of KFC’s advertising policy.

According to the Washington Post, Senior vice-president at Yum! Brands, which owns KFC, said Yum! Brands fully expects to win the suit and minimise the waste of time and money spent on it so that we can continue to satisfy our customers and grow the business.

The grilled chicken menu items were introduced by the franchise to prevent customers taking their business elsewhere because of a lack of healthy options.