Southern Fried Chicken continues to impress with its distinct flavor and strategic market penetration
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Poultry franchises can rarely lay claim to the legacy, or scope, that Southern Fried Chicken has. The brand opened its doors almost four decades ago after its founder, Arthur Withers, visited the U.S.A. and got a real taste for the now-ubiquitous local delicacy.
Soon after returning to the U.K., Arthur enlisted the help of his son Andrew to get to work on perfecting his version of the fried chicken recipe. 37 years and 102 international stores later and it’s safe to say that Arthur’s vision of providing excellent fried chicken to a global audience has been realized.
FROM MONGOLIA TO MARTINIQUE
Today, Southern Fried Chicken has opened franchise locations that span the entire globe; from Mongolia to Martinique. Rather than directly compete with other well-known fast-food franchisors, the brand has instead opted to identify and target burgeoning markets that can guarantee continued growth.
“One of the benefits of our brand is that we have the capability to adapt to local infrastructure,” explains Tony Maskell, brand manager for Fast Food Systems (FFS), the parent company of Southern Fried Chicken. “We can go into virgin territory, perhaps without a great deal of support, without the infrastructure, you’d expect, and make it work.”
An example of Southern Fried Chicken’s unique market penetration was in Nigeria, where the brand struggled to import fries. Rather than simply pull out of the region, FFS instead developed relationships with local potato farmers, bought potatoes, and then processed them at a central production unit established by the brand. Quality was maintained, local resources thrived, and new entrepreneurs could take advantage of this highly adaptable concept.
“We can be much more nimble in our decision making, and adapt the brand to fit the market,” says Julie McLaughlan, franchise development manager for FFS. “We can really listen to what our franchise partners want to say, and we can adapt our menu quickly and appropriately.”
CONSISTENCY IS KING
Despite FFS being able to alter the Southern Fried Chicken offering to suit anyone of its international locations, quality is paramount. The brand guarantees this by only partnering with master franchisees who are both experts in their market, and also have the financial and experiential means to thrive. “In the early days of a new franchisee, we work very hard to understand who the partner is and if they are able to do what we need them to do,” says McLaughlan. “It’s very easy to sign up many franchise partners if you’re not doing due diligence and identifying the right people.”
The best example of the Southern Fried Chicken’s partner selection process is perhaps with the brand’s Russian master franchisee, who now operates 43 restaurants in a single territory. The first of these opened in the modest city of Perm, and the Russian franchisee’s network now employs over 2,500 people.
Part of this rampant Russian success was due to the craveable appeal of Southern Fried Chicken’s menu, but also thanks to the brand’s aforementioned expertise in identifying potential in wholly untapped regions.
“One of the benefits of our brand is that we have the capability to adapt to local infrastructure”
As Tony Maskell explains: “The first Perm store opened in May 2000, and it was the only kind of venue in that city. No McDonald’s, no KFC, no nothing. When we opened, we were one-of-a-kind, and the turnaround on it was very fast. It was coming up to the three-month point that the business paid for itself. The franchisee is still working with us and is a significant partner, who we support with ongoing training, auditing, marketing, and new product development.”
ONE-TO-ONE SUPPORT
A concept is only as good as the people behind it. For Southern Fried Chicken, this means making sure that franchisees feel supported and listened to – no matter where in the world they are.
“Our franchisees can be, geographically, quite distant,” explains Maskell. “Mongolia, for example, is a 20-hour trip to get from our front door to the restaurant, but in the modern world, there are so many ways of communicating very effectively. We share videos, have video calls, update our website with information and templates, and provide digital resources that our franchisees can use.”
But it’s not just direct, one-to-one communication that FFS and Southern Fried Chicken rely on to improve infrastructure and processes. “I’m always looking for new ideas and best practice,” says Maskell. “If somebody comes up with a great idea that’s working for them, I’ll try and get that around the network. We facilitate communication between our partners so that they can all grow and gain from everybody else’s experience.”
FLYING HIGH
Even with its countless success stories, Southern Fried Chicken is only getting started. There are new markets to enter, new partnerships to form, and countless stomachs to fill with delectable fried chicken.
“We’re soon going to Brazzaville in the Congo,” says Maskell, “and as you can imagine, Brazzaville doesn’t have the infrastructure that we have in somewhere like the U.K. But the nature of our system is that we can adapt it so that we can continue to produce a great quality product that’s going to suit any market with relative ease.”
AN AFFORDABLE MODEL
As well as being adaptable, Southern Fried Chicken should apply to entrepreneurs who are economically minded. Low initial investments, including a franchise fee of £15,000 (roughly $19,500), means that even in regions with a small population, a swift ROI and subsequent profitability are all but ensured. In fact, the brand estimates that new investors will see a return from as quick as six months, to an average of three years.
AT A GLANCE
Established: 1983
Number of locations: 102
Locations: Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Mongolia, Nigeria, Senegal, Martinique, and soon to open in Paris
Investment range: $100,000 – $390,000
Franchise fee: $19,500
Contact: juliem@ffsbrands.co.uk, or 01189 441100
