Hungry Lion
South African fast food franchise
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
| |
| Industry | Restaurants |
|---|---|
| Genre | Fast food restaurant |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Headquarters | , South Africa |
Key people | Adrian Basson (CEO) |
| Products | Fried chicken, ice cream, sides |
| Website | hungrylion.co.za |
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]