Chicken Treat has over 60 outlets within Western Australia, and two in Central Queensland. The company provides a range of rotisserie chicken, fried chicken, and burger meals. Chicken Treat also offers catering services for families, groups, and businesses. In 2018, the restaurant expanded into Melbourne via a delivery-only kitchen offering.
History
Chicken Treat was founded in 1976 by Frank Romano, the Managing Director of Western Australia's leading group of fast food chicken outlets. His vision was for a good quality, high value meal that is also a 'treat' - something to be savoured, different and 'exclusive.' With this intent, the first Chicken Treat store opened in the town of Midland. 4 years down the track, this store became one of 8 stores strategically positioned around Perth. With a clear vision to expand and develop the company, a franchising system was adopted. By 1988, the number of Chicken Treat stores had increased to 39. In 1989, Chicken Treat and its main east coast rival, Big Rooster, became allies as Australian Fast Foods. In early 2002, the parent company Australian Fast Foods purchased Red Rooster from Coles Myer. This was followed by a period of rebranding, changing existing stores outside of Western Australia from Chicken Treat to the more established Red Rooster brand, although there are a few areas where the two co-exist. In April 2007, Australian Fast Foods sold Red Rooster and Chicken Treat for $180 million to a consortium formed by the management and the venture capital arm of Westpac known as Quadrant Capital. In early 2011, QSR Holdings acquired the Western AustralianChooks brand, converting said stores into direct-service outlets with no drive-thru service. These stores all carry the newer Chicken Treat branding. In June 2011, Archer Capital acquired Quick Service Restaurant Holdings from Quadrant Private Equity for an estimated $450 million. In October 2015, the chain began using "Betty the Chicken" to run the company's Twitter account in an attempt to secure an entry in the Guinness Book of Records. The company had over 8,000 followers in 2015 as a result. As of 2015, there has been a Facebook page 'Old Chicken Treats' dedicated to documenting Chicken Treat stores and since has achieved a cult following.
Logo and mascot
In the late 1990s, the company began using a CGIrooster as its official mascot, named Chicken Nick. It is now the focus of commercials and point of sale in store. The mascot is normally involved in a comical skit from surfing to hula dancing, which is often a reference to the product being advertised at that time. During the first season of the reality TV seriesBig Brother, adverts replicated the "bum dance" of Perth contestant Sara-Marie Fedele. Local celebrities such as former Perth Wildcats star Ricky Grace have also been used in commercials and in more recent advertisements, a contestant from Australian Idol, Chris Murphy, provided a song. In late 2009, Chicken Treat updated its logo and branding of some stores to appeal to a younger audience.
