THE HATCHERY ●THE MAP →

Competitive intelligence · South Africa · 2026

A NEW RIVAL STORE
OPENS EVERY 52 HOURS 25 MINUTES.i

That was the combined pace of KFC, Hungry Lion and Pedros, 1 January to 30 September 2026: 125 new stores in 273 days.

We analysed nearly 900,000 Google reviews (twelve months of all four brands, four earlier years of ours) and mapped every rival listing against our 267 stores. These are the findings.

NEXT RIVAL OPENS IN

≈ 530 more rival stores by the end of 2029 if the 2026 pace holds.
On their stated plans, faster: Hungry Lion 100 a year, Pedros 500 stores by 2029.

How we counted ↗
  • Openings: a store counts as opened on its first public Google review (±2 weeks), with at least 5 reviews. 125 KFC, Hungry Lion and Pedros stores opened 1 Jan – 30 Sep 2026 (73 Hungry Lion, 33 KFC, 19 Pedros).
  • The pace: 273 days ÷ 125 stores = one every 2.18 days, 52 hours 25 minutes.
  • The clock: a projection from that rate, starting when you pressed start. Not a scheduled opening; we don't know where or when the next one opens.
  • 2029: the same rate carried forward to 31 Dec 2029. Assumes no speed-up or slow-down.
  • Their plans: Hungry Lion's owner pledged 100 new stores a year (BusinessTech, 17 Aug 2026); Pedros targets 500 stores by 2029.
  • Next door: straight-line distance between public Google listings, 31 Oct 2026. Not walking or driving distance.
  • Reviews: 838,848 public Google reviews of all four brands, 1 Oct 2025 – 30 Sep 2026, plus 57,804 Chicken Licken reviews from Oct 2021 – Sep 2025.

And they're already next door

OF OUR 267 STORES ON GOOGLE MAPS:

SEE THE MAP →

Straight-line distance between public Google listings, 31 Oct 2026. Tap a number to see those stores on the map.

Tap an egg.

THE HATCHERY ●
HUNGRY LION

January–September 2026

NEXT HUNGRY LION OPENS IN
3 DAYS 00HOURS:00MINUTES:00SEC
BETWEEN 1 JANUARY AND 30 SEPTEMBER 2026, A NEW HUNGRY LION OPENED EVERY 3.7 DAYS
73 stores in 273 days, South Africa, counted from public Google reviews
WHERE
117 OF OUR 258 STORES HAVE A HUNGRY LION WITHIN 1 KM.

WE READ EVERY ONE OF THEIR REVIEWS.

22,272Google reviews of Chicken Licken and Hungry Lion. Twelve months. Every one read.

Where we win, where they win, what to fix and what to watch, on three pages.

DOWNLOAD THE DOSSIER ↓

Source: public Google reviews, 1 Oct 2025 – 30 Sep 2026.

THE HATCHERY CLOCK ●
THE MONTHLY CARTON
Every rival egg that cracked, one month at a time. A dozen to a carton. Save it, send it.
Monthly carton of rival store openings
Long-press or right-click the carton to save it, then send it on WhatsApp.

THE REVIEW ENGINE

Nearly 900,000 reviews. One database.

Twelve months of KFC, Hungry Lion, Pedros and Chicken Licken reviews, and four earlier years of ours, in one database we can question. Ask it anything. We'll answer from the data and email you.

896,652Google reviews
4chicken brands
2,156stores mapped

Source: public Google reviews, 1 Oct 2025 – 30 Sep 2026, plus Chicken Licken reviews from Oct 2021. Questions go to the chilli.build team.