Red Rooster is an Australian fast food restaurant chain founded in 1972 that specialises in roast chicken. Their product range includes whole roasts, half roasts, wraps, burgers, fish related products, salads, beverages and desserts. It is owned and operated by parent company Craveable Brands, which also own Oporto and Chicken Treat. , there are over 360 Red Rooster stores in all Australian states except Tasmania. In 2019 seven Red Rooster stores, all located on the Sunshine Coast, suddenly closed. Concerns about Red Rooster's franchise model have been raised, in that the focus on poultry makes it difficult for them to respond quickly to new consumer trends.
History
The Kailis family opened the first Red Rooster store in the Perth suburb of Kelmscott, Western Australia in 1972. Myer Emporium purchased the business in July 1981. In 1986 Coles Myer bought the Big Roosterchain to expand into the eastern states, and renamed the stores "Red Rooster". Big Rooster remains operational in Papua New Guinea. In May 2002, Red Rooster was purchased by Western Australian company Australian Fast Foods, which owned the competing Chicken Treat fast food chain. In April 2007, Red Rooster and Chicken Treat were sold for A$180 million to a consortium formed by the management and the venture capital arm of Westpac known as Quadrant Capital. In April 2009, the Red Rooster chain in New Zealand closed its stores. The first New Zealand outlet, in Takanini had opened in December 2004. In 2010, Red Rooster changed company-owned stores to franchises. In June 2011, Quadrant Capital sold Quick Service Restaurants, which owns the Red Rooster chain, for A$450 million to Archer Capital.
Marketing and promotions
In 2009, Red Rooster ran an ad campaign called "They don't get it in America" featuring comedian Tom Gleeson in the United States asking people about Red Rooster. Since 2009, Red Rooster has been a signatory of AQSRII. It has also taken up a self-regulatory standpoint regarding advertising aimed specifically at children and is a long-standing signatory of the Australian Quick Service Restaurant Industry Initiative for Responsible Advertising and Marketing to Children. In 2010, Red Rooster was a sponsor of the factory-backed HoldenSupercars team, the Holden Racing Team. In 2016, the team returned as a sponsor of Supercars and became the title sponsor of the Sydney SuperNight 300. In 2011, Red Rooster changed to promoting its restaurants as healthy, fresh and quick. Following an intensive image upgrade Red Rooster introduced its new brand positioning, "Tender Loving Chicken" in August 2014.
Online ordering
In September 2014, Red Rooster launched its trial delivery service in New South Wales, in Sydney from the Baulkham Hills restaurant, in partnership with Menulog. Delivery service also covers nearby suburbs Castle Hill and Bella Vista in Sydney's North West. As well as delivery to homes, it was announced delivery options to businesses, sporting clubs and local organisations would be available. Red Rooster now delivers from over 220 restaurants across Australia.
