Fast food giants eye Australian consumers as pretzel empire opens its first local store
Auntie Anne's famous pretzels, hotdogs and ice cream delights will be available to Sydneysiders from Saturday, with the first store opening its doors at Westfield Parramatta.
And it isn't likely to be the only one, with Popeyes, Jollibee and Firehouse Subs looking for store locations to bring over their popular goods for Australian consumers.
Auntie Anne's was started in 1988 when founder Anne Beiler bought a stand in a Pennsylvania farmer's market. She started baking pretzels to help fund her husband's desire to provide free family counselling services for their community.
Her husband's dream ultimately came true with the popularity of the now-international pretzels.
Executive Director of Food, Beverage and Agribusiness Insights at ANZ, Michael Whitehead, isn't surprised by the interest of the US fast-food chains.
'Australians cannot get enough chicken in our fast-food restaurant — it has become the dominant meat,' he told 7NEWS.
'We will see people flocking to it — trying it — and people from all demographics.'
Popeyes chicken, which is known for its 'mouth-watering crunch and juicy fried chicken bursting with Louisiana flavour', is planning to rival Australian favourite, KFC.
Red Rooster, Oporto and KFC currently dominate Australia's takeaway chicken market.
Popeyes' potential expansion to the local market would be the latest US venture to hit Australian shores, following the likes of Wendy's, In-N-Out Burger and Chuck E. Cheese.
Currently, there is no information about where or when Popeyes is planning to open.
Popular chain Jollibee is also planning to open in Sydney, with a potential location in Campbelltown according to Delicious.
The Filipino fast-food giant offers burgers, named Yumburgers, with chicken. But something never offered by a fast-food giant before is its ready-to-eat spaghetti.
Sandwich king Firehouse Subs, meanwhile, is blazing a trail into Australia with plans to open 165 locations across the country over the next decade.
The first restaurant will open in south-east Queensland in late 2025, marking the start of the brand's ambitious expansion into the Australian market.
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