Claire Thompson
Chicken Licken is a popular South African fast-food fried chicken restaurant chain. It was founded by George Sombonos, the son of a Greek immigrant restaurant owner. In 1972, Sombonos bought Chicken Licken's secret fried chicken recipe from a fast-food outlet in Waco, Texas, and introduced it to his father's restaurant, the Dairy Den. Initially, new Chicken Licken restaurants only opened in South African townships, but after the end of apartheid in 1994, the company began to focus on opening stores in richer areas and large shopping malls. As of 2013, there were 247 Chicken Licken restaurants in South Africa, with an additional 12 stores in Botswana. Chicken Licken has been ranked as one of the top fast-food chains in the country and is known for its affordable prices and creative advertising campaigns.
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What You'll Learn
- Chicken Licken is the largest non-American-owned fried chicken franchise globally
- The company had a 5% share of South Africa's fast food market in 2010
- Chicken Licken was founded by George Sombonos, son of a Greek immigrant
- The first Chicken Licken restaurant opened in 1981
- Chicken Licken has 247 restaurants in South Africa
Chicken Licken is the largest non-American-owned fried chicken franchise globally
Chicken Licken is a South African fast-food fried chicken restaurant chain. It was founded by George Sombonos, the son of a Greek immigrant restaurant owner. Sombonos learned the restaurant trade from his father in the 1970s and bought Chicken Licken's secret fried chicken recipe from a fast-food outlet owner in Texas for $1000. He opened the first Chicken Licken restaurant in 1981 and gave away the first two franchises in 1982.
Chicken Licken's presence in the townships during apartheid helped it establish a loyal customer base among Black South Africans. However, the company's association with the townships has also presented a challenge to growth outside the townships in a changing South Africa. As of 2013, there were 247 Chicken Licken outlets in South Africa and 12 outlets in Botswana. Only 12 of the outlets in South Africa are owned by the company, including the six most successful restaurants.
Chicken Licken is positioned as a more affordable option than its main competitors in South Africa, KFC and Nando's. It was ranked second after KFC in the Fast Food and Restaurant Chains category of the Sunday Times Markinor 2007 Top Brands Survey. Chicken Licken has also been recognised for its advertising campaigns, winning awards for its nostalgic commercials.
Despite attempts to establish a presence in other African countries, outlets in Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Mauritius, Lesotho, and Swaziland were closed down due to various issues. As of 2025, there are talks about opening a store in the Bronx, New York.
With its presence primarily in South Africa and Botswana, Chicken Licken has been described as the largest non-American-owned fried chicken franchise in the world.
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The company had a 5% share of South Africa's fast food market in 2010
Chicken Licken is a South African fast-food fried chicken restaurant chain. The company owned by Golden Fried Chicken (Pty) Ltd was founded in 1981 by George Sombonos, the son of a Greek immigrant restaurant owner. Initially, new Chicken Licken outlets were only opened in South African townships. The company's presence in the townships during apartheid helped it establish a loyal customer base among Black South Africans. However, civil unrest in the mid-1980s adversely affected the company's operations in the townships until 1991.
Chicken Licken is the largest non-American-owned fried chicken franchise in the world. The company had a 5% share of South Africa's fast-food market in 2010, tying with McDonald's. In 2007, Chicken Licken was ranked second after KFC in the Fast Food and Restaurant Chains category of the Sunday Times Markinor Top Brands Survey, with Nando's in third place. The survey was based on consumer interviews and took into account factors such as brand awareness and trust. Chicken Licken's food is positioned as a more affordable option than its main competitors in South Africa, KFC and Nando's.
Chicken Licken has a trademark for the word "soul" in South Africa with respect to restaurants, snack bars, cafes, fast-food outlets, and related services. Over the years, the company has aggressively enforced this trademark, targeting businesses that use the word "soul" in their names or products. This has included legal action against small businesses such as Soulsa, Native Soul, and East Coast Soul Kitchen. Chicken Licken has also faced challenges in expanding outside of the townships in a changing South Africa due to its association with the townships during apartheid.
Chicken Licken obtains its chickens from Rainbow Chicken Limited, South Africa's largest producer of chickens. It has also imported chickens from Brazil in the past when Brazilian exporters flooded the market with surplus chicken. The company's success can be attributed to its affordable pricing, effective advertising campaigns, and ability to cater to local tastes. As of 2025, there are talks about opening a store in Bronx, New York.
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Chicken Licken was founded by George Sombonos, son of a Greek immigrant
Chicken Licken is a South African fast-food fried chicken restaurant chain and the largest non-American-owned fried chicken franchise in the world. It is also one of the biggest fast-food retailers in South Africa, with 286 outlets across the country as of last year.
Chicken Licken was founded by George Sombonos, the son of a Greek immigrant restaurant owner. Sombonos was born in 1949 in South Africa, where his family had immigrated during World War II. At a young age, Sombonos began learning about the food industry from his father, who owned a café called the Dairy Den in Ridgeway, Johannesburg. By the time he was 11 years old, Sombonos was already well-versed in business concepts, such as the difference between different types of companies. After graduating from high school in 1966, he dedicated himself fully to working at his father's restaurant. Unfortunately, his father suffered a health issue, and by the age of 23, Sombonos was running the Dairy Den on his own.
The idea for Chicken Licken was born in the early 1970s when Sombonos visited the United States. During these trips, he would explore different cuisines by eating a specific type of food from various restaurants over the course of a day. This inspired him to create his own fried chicken brand. In 1972, he purchased the secret fried chicken recipe from the owner of a fast-food outlet in Waco, Texas, for $1,000. He initially introduced this recipe to his father's restaurant.
In 1981, Sombonos was ready to launch his own fried chicken business. He named it Chicken Licken, a name suggested by one of his waiters, which was inspired by a nursery book. The first Chicken Licken restaurant was opened on the site of the Dairy Den, and its fried chicken became an instant hit. The success of the first outlet led to the opening of franchises in Soweto and Alexandra in 1982. However, this rapid growth also attracted legal attention from KFC, which sued Chicken Licken for trademark infringement, arguing that the name resembled their slogan, "It's finger-lickin' good." Fortunately for Chicken Licken, the judge disagreed, and the brand was allowed to keep its name.
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The first Chicken Licken restaurant opened in 1981
The first Chicken Licken restaurant opened its doors in 1981 in Johannesburg, South Africa. The founder, George Sombonos, was the son of a Greek immigrant restaurant owner. Sombonos learned about the restaurant trade from his father, who owned the Dairy Den in Ridgeway, Johannesburg. After his father's death in 1980, Sombonos decided to open his own restaurant on the same site, choosing the name Chicken Licken, which was suggested to him by a waiter based on the name of a nursery book.
Sombonos introduced his secret fried chicken recipe to the Dairy Den in the 1970s. He had purchased this recipe from a restaurant owner in Waco, Texas, for $1,000 while touring the United States. In 1975, during the apartheid era, he began serving black customers in their cars when segregation laws restricted their access to restaurants. A year later, he introduced the drive-through concept to the Dairy Den, inspired by his visits to Wendy's restaurants in the US.
Chicken Licken's presence in the townships during apartheid helped establish a loyal customer base among Black South Africans. However, internal resistance to apartheid in the mid-1980s and civil unrest affected the company's operations in these areas until 1991. Despite these challenges, Chicken Licken thrived, and by 1982, Sombonos had sold the first two franchises, located in Soweto and Alexandra.
Chicken Licken's unique positioning and affordable pricing relative to competitors like KFC and Nando's contributed to its success. The brand also gained recognition through its creative and humorous advertising campaigns, with early commercials starring actor and creative director Joe Mafela. As of 2013, there were 247 Chicken Licken outlets in South Africa, with an additional 12 outlets in Botswana.
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Chicken Licken has 247 restaurants in South Africa
Chicken Licken is a South African fast-food fried chicken restaurant chain. It was founded in 1981 by George Sombonos, the son of a Greek immigrant restaurant owner. The first Chicken Licken restaurant was opened on the site of the Dairy Den—a restaurant previously owned by Sombonos's father. In 1982, Sombonos gave away the first two franchises, located in Soweto and Alexandra, as he was unable to sell them at the time.
Chicken Licken currently has 247 restaurants in South Africa. The company's presence in the townships during apartheid helped it establish a loyal customer base among Black South Africans. However, civil unrest in the mid-1980s adversely affected its operations in the townships until 1991.
Chicken Licken is known for its affordable prices and unique advertising campaigns. In 2007, the company ranked second after KFC in the Fast Food and Restaurant Chains category of the Sunday Times Markinor Top Brands Survey. Chicken Licken was also recognised as the "largest non-American-owned fried chicken franchise in the world".
The company sources its chickens from Rainbow Chicken Limited, South Africa's largest chicken producer. With 247 restaurants across the country, Chicken Licken has become a prominent player in South Africa's fast-food market.
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Frequently asked questions
As of 2013, there were 247 Chicken Licken restaurants in South Africa.
Yes, Chicken Licken is a South African fast-food fried chicken restaurant chain. It was founded in South Africa by George Sombonos, the son of a Greek immigrant restaurant owner.
Chicken Licken is the largest non-American-owned fried chicken franchise in the world. It is also famous for its funny TV commercials, with some featuring the company's jingle: "It's good, good, good, it's good its nice."
