Business

International fast-food giant tried to take on KFC and Chicken Licken in South Africa

Bianke Neethling • 9 September 2026

Since launching in South Africa in 2022, Dubai-based Chicking has closed five locations, with only three remaining.

This comes as South Africa’s fast-food chicken industry is becoming increasingly competitive, with KFC leading the pack.

Chicking has 230 outlets across 30 countries and was founded in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in 2000.

The group prides itself on being one of the first fully Halal international quick-service restaurant (QSR) brands worldwide.

“We serve fresh, great-tasting food, using only the finest quality herbs and spices, carefully selected from around the world, to deliver exciting flavours in a modern setting,” the company’s website states.

The website said that Chicking serves 2 million devoted customers worldwide each month, with locations in different countries tailoring their offerings to local markets.

In South Africa, the brand’s offering includes budget and value meals, chicken wings, burgers, wraps, family meals, and pizzas.

The brand launched in South Africa in 2022, but has been struggling to grow its footprint in the country, despite a promising start.

Chicking’s first restaurant opened in Edenvale, Johannesburg, in September 2022, and a second location at The Zone at Rosebank Mall followed a month later.

In 2023, a third location opened at The Glen Shopping Centre in Johannesburg, and the company marked its expansion outside Gauteng that same year, with a store opening in Durban.

Around the same time, Chicking opened its fifth location at Cresta Shopping Centre in Randburg, Johannesburg.

However, since then, the brand has not announced any new store openings. It now has three active locations in South Africa: in the Pretoria CBD, Mutsindo Mall in Limpopo, and Falmwood Square in Klerksdorp.

The Edenvale, Rosebank, Cresta, The Glen, and Durban locations are permanently closed.

Daily Investor asked the company whether it had any future store rollouts planned, but did not receive a response.

South Africa’s fast-food chicken market

Chicking finds itself in a highly competitive market in South Africa, where chicken dominates at local fast-food and quick-service restaurant brands.

The 2026 Fast Food and QSR Report, released by digital agency Rogerwilco in partnership with YOUKNOW Technologies and Eighty20, shed light on this growing industry.

The report found that 22 million South Africans identify chicken as their primary QSR choice, which is attributed to the protein’s affordability, convenience, and familiarity.

Recent market developments, including the rising price of beef amid an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, have also bolstered fast-food chicken restaurants.

Homegrown brands such as Nandos, Hungry Lion, Steers, and Chicken Licken have been strong competitors in this category for decades.

However, international players, particularly KFC, have also taken the market by storm, with the Colonel being the largest player in South Africa with 1,200 locations.

Rogerwilco’s report found that Chicken Licken overtook KFC as South Africa’s most-mentioned fast-food brand online between May 2025 and April 2026.

However, 21% of South Africans reported buying from KFC in the previous four weeks, compared with 10% for Chicken Licken.

Standard Bank’s 2026 Youth Barometer also showed that KFC captures the most transactions and value among takeout brands for under-35s.

In terms of takeout spend, KFC dominates with 12.96% of all restaurant and fast-food transactions, with McDonald’s in second place with 9.65% of transactions.

With established brands dominating consumer choice, it is becoming increasingly difficult for new entrants to take market share.

However, South Africa’s fast-food market is expected to grow to $8.3 billion (R132.39 billion) by 2034, up from $6.5 billion (R103.68 billion) in 2025.

This market expansion, which implies a compound annual growth rate of 2.60%, could leave the door open for less established brands to take on the incumbents.

For example, while its market share is still limited, Pedros has emerged as one of the fastest-growing chicken QSR brands in South Africa, having grown rapidly since its founding eight years ago.

Pedros now has 200 stores across South Africa and the rest of the continent, and is targeting 250 stores by 2027.