Twelve months ago Jamie Stewart took on the top job at Chicken Treat, the beloved Western Australian fast food brand. His promise? To bring a franchise lens to the business, to leverage franchisee experience, to embrace the customer perspective, and apply a laser-focus to profitability.

He started with a plan to visit every franchisee, to uncover what makes the brand successful and find opportunities for improvement.

A year on, and Jamie has visited all 63 stores in the network.

“It was the biggest eye opener because each store and each franchisee is different, and regional stores are distinct from metro stores. I wanted to show respect by vising franchisees in their own stores and speaking to their staff. I thoroughly enjoyed it,” Jamie says.

What he found was a franchise network built on strong foundations, and a keen appreciation for the need to grow while maintaining what has made the brand a success.

“It’s about alignment. Our franchisees understand what they need to do but I wanted to explain the why, show the modelling and what it means to their bottom line. That was my promise: to strengthen the franchise culture and to drive profitability.”

Upgrading for efficiencies and profitability

Uniformity is central to this. Some stores operate with kiosks, some have digital menu boards; the goal is to upgrade to ensure every store provides customers with the same experience.

“My message to franchisees was if you wait for a perfect time, you’ll be too late. Take the opportunity to upgrade stores and technology now, so when the time is right, you’ll be up and running.”

The franchisor is also helping franchisees with support, as they adjust to longer trading hours.

“The trade at night is getting stronger; people are eating later, and of course there are shift workers wanting to eat late. So we are looking at midnight trading from Thursday to Saturday. And we’ll use the evening hours to do more prep, so that will boost efficiencies,” Jamie says.

“A core issue is how we influence and improve profitability without losing the customer. And we’ve already seen positive changes.”

A modern menu for today’s customer

Chicken Treat has long been a destination for value and it’s an important part of its portfolio. However, value trends are shifting and it’s no longer just about price and discounts. Customers want more. Multidimensional value considers price, quality, convenience and experience.

“So we’ll be implementing value you can see – both abundance and variety – across multiple formats at different price points,” Jamie says.

And early in 2027 Chicken Treat will add even greater choice to the menu, with lunch offers set at two different price points. 

“Chicken Treat has always been known for value, but value is evolving. Customers want more than just a low price. They’re looking for quality, choice, convenience and great-tasting food.

“That’s why we’re introducing more visible value across our menu, with greater abundance and variety at different price points. We’re giving customers more choice and value, while supporting strong franchisee profitability.

“At the same time, we’re continuing to explore new flavours and food trends, alongside customer feedback, to ensure our menu remains fresh, relevant and unmistakably Chicken Treat,” he says.

For a heritage brand, celebrating its half-century, staying relevant is about knowing what to change and what to retain.

Celebrating a 50-year heritage

“Chicken Treat is still here today because of the strong WA heritage – it’s very much the local brand. We focus on the customer and the community; we have stores from Albany to Broome, and in remote towns we’re an important place of employment and point of people connection with the brand,” Jamie says.

It’s a brand packed with personality, he points out.

“We’ve always been able to be modern and fun; it’s expected. It is in our DNA. And we can capitalise on the love people have for the brand.”

The celebrity 50th birthday program kicked off in October, with a big stunt to open people’s eyes to what Chicken Treat offers today and thank them for their loyalty over the past 50 years.

“We have our new offerings, our classics reboxed, and we are looking to our past for a bit of fun with a retro design salt shaker with our famous chicken salt. This is the first time we will retail this, and it’s just for a limited time,” Jamie says.

Media activity and franchisee celebrations are running throughout the birthday program. 

“We are celebrating our achievements, revisiting some of the bold and unforgettable campaigns that helped make Chicken Treat what it is today, and talking about where we’re heading next. After 50 years, it’s important to pause and recognise our history, while continuing to evolve and build a brand that remains relevant, distinctive and loved by Western Australians for decades to come,” he says.

“There is still so much room for new franchisees to open Chicken Treat stores. The suburbs are growing in Western Australia and that’s where the opportunities lie.”