Chicken Treat
An Australian fast-food chain focused on rotisserie chicken, fried chicken, burgers, and group catering.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Chicken Treat is an Australian quick-service restaurant brand best known for chicken-based meals, including rotisserie chicken, fried chicken, burgers, and family or group catering. The chain is strongly associated with Western Australia, where it has historically maintained its largest store network and operational base. As of March 2023, it had more than 60 outlets in Western Australia. The brand was founded by Frank Romano, who entered the barbecued-chicken fast-food sector in 1973 as a store manager for Chicken Spot. He later became a shareholder in West Coast Fast Foods Pty Ltd before establishing Chicken Treat in 1976. The first Chicken Treat restaurant opened in Midland, Western Australia. Its early identity was built around accessible chicken meals for takeaway and casual family dining, with the menu later broadening to include fried chicken, burgers, sides, and catering options. Chicken Treat's corporate history has been closely connected with other Australian chicken and quick-service brands. In 1989, Chicken Treat and eastern Australian rival Big Rooster became associated through Australian Fast Foods. Australian Fast Foods subsequently purchased Red Rooster from Coles Myer in early 2002. In South Australia, some Chicken Treat restaurants were then converted to the more established Red Rooster identity, although the two brands continued to coexist in parts of Western Australia. In 2007, Australian Fast Foods sold Chicken Treat and Red Rooster to a consortium comprising management and Quadrant Private Equity. The ownership structure changed again in 2011, when Archer Capital acquired Quick Service Restaurant Holdings from Quadrant Private Equity. Quick Service Restaurant Holdings later changed its name to Craveable Brands. During this period, the group also acquired the Western Australian Chooks business, formerly known as River Rooster, and converted those restaurants to Chicken Treat-branded direct-service outlets. The chain has tested expansion beyond its Western Australian heartland. In 2018, it entered Melbourne through a delivery-only kitchen model. In December 2022, it opened its first New South Wales restaurant at Eastern Creek, although that location was subsequently converted into an Oporto restaurant. The company had also identified New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory as potential areas for further expansion. Chicken Treat has used unconventional digital marketing as part of its brand personality. In 2015, the company introduced the fictional character Betty the Chicken to operate its Twitter account while attempting to secure a Guinness World Records achievement. The initiative generated more than 8,000 followers according to contemporary reporting. The campaign reflected the chain's willingness to use playful social-media activity alongside conventional restaurant promotion. In 2019, Hong Kong-based private equity firm PAG Asia Capital acquired Craveable Brands, bringing Chicken Treat under PAG ownership. The brand continues to operate as an Australian quick-service chicken chain, with its principal presence in Western Australia and a menu spanning rotisserie and fried chicken, burgers, meal combinations, and catering. Its present scale, detailed financial performance, executive leadership, and exact outlet count outside Western Australia are not established in the supplied reference material.
History
Chicken Treat developed from the Australian barbecued-chicken takeaway sector. Frank Romano began working in that industry in 1973 as a manager for Chicken Spot and later became a shareholder in West Coast Fast Foods Pty Ltd. In 1976, he established Chicken Treat, opening the first restaurant in Midland, Western Australia. The early concept centered on prepared chicken meals suited to takeaway and family consumption. The brand became part of a broader Australian quick-service restaurant structure in 1989, when Chicken Treat and its principal eastern rival, Big Rooster, became allies through Australian Fast Foods. Australian Fast Foods expanded its brand portfolio in early 2002 by purchasing Red Rooster from Coles Myer. After that transaction, selected Chicken Treat stores in South Australia, some of which had opened during the 1990s, were rebranded as Red Rooster. The two identities nevertheless continued to coexist in parts of Western Australia. Australian Fast Foods sold Chicken Treat and Red Rooster in April 2007 to a consortium made up of company management and Quadrant Private Equity, the venture-capital arm of Westpac. In 2011, Quick Service Restaurant Holdings acquired the Western Australian Chooks chain, previously known as River Rooster. Those restaurants were converted to the newer Chicken Treat identity and operated as direct-service locations without drive-through facilities. Later that year, Archer Capital acquired Quick Service Restaurant Holdings from Quadrant Private Equity. The transaction included Chicken Treat, Red Rooster, and Oporto. The corporate group changed its name from Quick Service Restaurant Holdings to Craveable Brands, and Chicken Treat moved its headquarters in 2017 from Balcatta to Osborne Park. The Balcatta premises had served as the brand's headquarters for almost two decades; an earlier Dianella headquarters had been destroyed by fire in the early 2000s. Chicken Treat pursued several forms of geographic and operational experimentation. In 2015, it used Betty the Chicken as the personality for its Twitter account in a Guinness World Records-related promotional effort. In 2018, it tested the Melbourne market through a delivery-only kitchen. In December 2022, it opened at Eastern Creek, its first outlet in New South Wales. That restaurant was later converted into an Oporto location, while further expansion into New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory had been contemplated. Ownership changed in 2019 when PAG Asia Capital, a Hong Kong-based private equity firm, bought Craveable Brands. By March 2023, Chicken Treat had more than 60 outlets in Western Australia. The supplied reference material does not establish a complete national store count, detailed financial results, or a current executive roster. The brand's enduring identity remains that of a Western Australian-centered chicken quick-service chain offering rotisserie chicken, fried chicken, burgers, and catering.
- 2023
Western Australian network exceeds 60 outlets
[1]As of March, the chain was reported to have more than 60 outlets within Western Australia.
- 2022
First New South Wales outlet opens
[1]Chicken Treat opened an Eastern Creek location in December, its first restaurant in New South Wales; the site was later converted to Oporto.
- 2019
PAG Asia Capital becomes owner through Craveable Brands
[1]PAG Asia Capital acquired Craveable Brands, placing Chicken Treat under the ownership of the Hong Kong-based private equity firm.
- 2018
Melbourne delivery-only expansion
[1]The company entered Melbourne through a delivery-only kitchen format.
- 2017
Headquarters move to Osborne Park
[1]Chicken Treat relocated its headquarters from Balcatta to Osborne Park after the parent group adopted the Craveable Brands name.
- 2011
Western Australian Chooks stores convert to Chicken Treat
[1]Quick Service Restaurant Holdings acquired Western Australian Chooks, formerly River Rooster, and converted its stores to Chicken Treat branding.
- 2011
Archer Capital acquires Quick Service Restaurant Holdings
[1]Archer Capital acquired the parent company from Quadrant Private Equity in a transaction involving Chicken Treat, Red Rooster, and Oporto.
- 2007
Chicken Treat is sold to a Quadrant-backed consortium
[1]Australian Fast Foods sold Chicken Treat and Red Rooster to a management and Quadrant Private Equity consortium for a reported $180 million.
- 2002
Australian Fast Foods purchases Red Rooster
[1]The parent group bought Red Rooster from Coles Myer, followed by the conversion of some South Australian Chicken Treat restaurants to Red Rooster.
- 1989
Chicken Treat joins Australian Fast Foods
[1]Chicken Treat and Big Rooster became allies through Australian Fast Foods, linking the Western and eastern Australian chicken chains.
Products and positioning
An Australian chicken-focused quick-service restaurant brand combining rotisserie chicken, fried chicken, burgers, and convenient family or group meals, with a particularly strong Western Australian identity.
Chicken meals
Rotisserie chicken
Rotisserie chicken is one of Chicken Treat's core menu categories and reflects the brand's origins in Australia's barbecued-chicken takeaway market. It is offered as individual meals and as part of larger family-oriented combinations.
Chicken meals
Fried chicken
Fried chicken broadens the chain's offer beyond rotisserie products and provides a conventional quick-service format for individual meals, combinations, and sharing occasions.
Burgers
Chicken burgers
Chicken Treat serves burger-style meals alongside its whole and portioned chicken products, giving customers a handheld option within the brand's chicken-focused menu.
Catering
Family and group catering
The chain provides catering for families, groups, and businesses. This extends the brand beyond individual takeaway occasions into larger shared meals and workplace or event orders.
Marketing campaigns
- 2015Betty the Chicken Twitter and Guinness World Records initiative
Australia
Chicken Treat assigned its Twitter presence to the fictional character Betty the Chicken as part of an attempt to obtain a Guinness World Records entry. The character-led approach helped the account attract more than 8,000 followers during the period described.
Outcome. The supplied reference confirms audience growth but does not establish whether the Guinness World Records attempt succeeded.
Brand decisions
2022
Open and later convert the Eastern Creek restaurantStrategyBackground
The company sought to establish a presence in New South Wales and had discussed further expansion into that state and the Australian Capital Territory.
Action taken
Chicken Treat opened its first New South Wales outlet at Eastern Creek in December, after which the site was converted to an Oporto restaurant.
Aftermath
The Eastern Creek site no longer operated under the Chicken Treat brand according to the supplied reference.
2019
PAG Asia Capital acquires Craveable BrandsM&ABackground
Craveable Brands owned or operated a portfolio of Australian quick-service restaurant brands, including Chicken Treat.
Action taken
Hong Kong-based private equity firm PAG Asia Capital acquired Craveable Brands.
Aftermath
Chicken Treat became part of PAG Asia Capital's privately owned Australian restaurant portfolio.
Reported acquisition value. About 500 million Australian dollars (2019)
2018
Test a delivery-only restaurant model in MelbourneStrategyBackground
Chicken Treat sought to extend its presence beyond Western Australia while limiting the physical footprint of a new-market entry.
Action taken
The brand entered Melbourne through a delivery-only kitchen.
Aftermath
The supplied reference does not provide detailed performance results or confirm the duration of the Melbourne operation.
2011
Acquire Western Australian ChooksM&ABackground
Quick Service Restaurant Holdings acquired the Western Australian Chooks chain, formerly known as River Rooster.
Action taken
The acquired restaurants were converted to Chicken Treat branding and operated as direct-service stores without drive-through facilities.
Aftermath
The transaction expanded the Chicken Treat-branded network in Western Australia.
2007
Sell Chicken Treat and Red Rooster to a private-equity consortiumM&ABackground
Australian Fast Foods chose to sell its Chicken Treat and Red Rooster businesses.
Action taken
The businesses were sold to a consortium formed by management and Quadrant Private Equity.
Aftermath
Chicken Treat continued under private-equity ownership and later became part of the Archer Capital-owned Quick Service Restaurant Holdings structure.
Reported transaction value. 180 million Australian dollars (April 2007)
2002
Acquire Red Rooster and rationalize selected storesM&ABackground
Australian Fast Foods, the group linked with Chicken Treat, purchased Red Rooster from Coles Myer. The two brands occupied overlapping positions in the Australian chicken quick-service market.
Action taken
Some Chicken Treat restaurants in South Australia were rebranded as Red Rooster, while the brands continued to coexist in parts of Western Australia.
Aftermath
The change increased Red Rooster's presence in selected markets and reduced the number of locations operating under the Chicken Treat name in South Australia.
Recent events
- 2022
Chicken Treat opens first New South Wales outlet[1]
Product launch
The chain opened its first New South Wales location at Eastern Creek in December, but the site was later converted to an Oporto restaurant.
- 2019
PAG Asia Capital acquires Craveable Brands[1]
M&A
Hong Kong-based private equity firm PAG Asia Capital acquired Craveable Brands, the group associated with Chicken Treat.
- 2018
Chicken Treat enters Melbourne through a delivery-only kitchen[1]
Other
The brand expanded into Melbourne using a delivery-only kitchen rather than a conventional dine-in or drive-through restaurant.
- 2017
Chicken Treat headquarters relocates within Perth[1]
Other
Following the parent company's change from Quick Service Restaurant Holdings to Craveable Brands, Chicken Treat moved its headquarters from Balcatta to Osborne Park in Western Australia.
- 2015
Chicken Treat launches Betty the Chicken social-media campaign[1]
Campaign
Chicken Treat used the fictional character Betty the Chicken to operate its Twitter account in an effort connected with a Guinness World Records bid. The account reportedly exceeded 8,000 followers during the campaign.
Sources1 sources
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