 | |
| Industry | Restaurants |
|---|---|
| Genre | Fast food restaurant |
| Founded | 1997 (1997) |
| Headquarters | , South Africa |
Key people | Adrian Basson (CEO) |
| Products | Fried chicken, ice cream, sides |
| Website | hungrylion.co.za |
Hungry Lion is a South African fast food restaurant franchise established in 1997 known for serving fried chicken.[1] Since its founding, the company has expanded its operations to several countries in Southern Africa, including South Africa, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Angola and Zimbabwe.[2]
History
Hungry Lion opened its first restaurant in 1997 at Eikestad Mall in Stellenbosch, South Africa. It was originally a subsidiary of Shoprite Holdings Ltd.[1] Following their initial success, the company began its expansion and proceeded to open four additional locations within the same year, including two in Zambia and one in South Africa's Eastern Cape region.[3]
Many of its first locations were attached to Shoprite stories until Hungry Lion rebranded in 2014 and switched to mostly independent locations.[4] In 2018, it was spun off from its parent company Shoprite Holdings Ltd and became an independent chain, with all stores being corporate owned.[5]
As of 2025, Hungry Lion is the fastest growing fried chicken brand in Africa.[6] It has over 500 locations in South Africa, Zambia, Namibia, Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Mauritius.[1]
References
- ^ a b c "South Africa's fast-food giant – and it's hungry for more". Retrieved 2025-05-15.
- ^ Team, Josh Rayfield, Editorial; Rayfield, Josh (2019-05-25). "Hungry Lion : The Continent's Progressive QSR Player". Africa Outlook Magazine. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Mollendorff, Rudi Von. "Sage X3 helps Hungry Lion expand business across Africa". SAGE.
- ^ Magwaza, Nompumelelo (2020-11-15). "Hungry Lion aims to compete as a stand-alone chain". Business Report. Retrieved 2025-05-15.
- ^ Chimbulu, Buumba (October 16, 2020). "Shoprite, Hungry Lion Split". Daily Nation. Retrieved 2025-05-15.
- ^ "The most popular fast food chains in South Africa". Retrieved 2025-05-15.
