Hungry Lion
 | |
 | |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Restaurant |
| Genre | Fast food |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Headquarters | Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa |
Number of locations | 500+ (2026) |
Area served | Southern Africa |
Key people | Adrian Basson (CEO) |
| Products | Fried chicken Ice cream Sides |
Number of employees | 10,000+ (2026) |
| Website | www |
Hungry Lion is a South African fast food restaurant chain known for its fried chicken.[1] Since its establishment in 1997, the company has expanded its operations throughout Southern Africa.[2]
As of mid-2026, the chain operates over 550 locations in nine African countries, and employs over 10,000 people.
History
Hungry Lion opened its first restaurant in 1997 at Eikestad Mall in Stellenbosch, in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It was originally a subsidiary of major South African supermarket chain Shoprite Holdings Ltd.[1]
Following its initial success, the company open four additional locations within the same year, including two in Zambia.[3]
Many of its first locations were attached to Shoprite stores until Hungry Lion rebranded in 2014 and switched to mostly independent locations.[4]
In 2018, Hungry Lion was spun off from its parent company Shoprite and became an independent chain, with all stores being corporate-owned.[5]
In 2025, Hungry Lion was 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]
In July 2026, Hungry Lion reported to have well exceeded its growth rate estimation back in 2024. That year, the company's CEO told investors from Standard Bank at the Africa Unlocked Conference that the fast food chain intended to open 100 stores per year going forward. However, in 2026, its expansion rate was 250 stores per year. At the time, the chain had over 500 stores across nine countries, and intended to reach a total of 750 by the end of 2026.[7]
References
- 1 2 3 "South Africa's fast-food giant – and it's hungry for more". Retrieved 15 May 2025.
- ↑ Team, Josh Rayfield, Editorial; Rayfield, Josh (25 May 2019). "Hungry Lion : The Continent's Progressive QSR Player". Africa Outlook Magazine. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ↑ Mollendorff, Rudi Von. "Sage X3 helps Hungry Lion expand business across Africa". SAGE.
- ↑ Magwaza, Nompumelelo (15 November 2020). "Hungry Lion aims to compete as a stand-alone chain". Business Report. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
- ↑ Chimbulu, Buumba (16 October 2020). "Shoprite, Hungry Lion Split". Daily Nation. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
- ↑ "The most popular fast food chains in South Africa". Retrieved 15 May 2025.
- ↑ Shaun Jacobs. "South African fast-food giant opening 250 stores a year". Daily Investor. Retrieved 11 July 2026.