EXCLUSIVE You might be KFC, but we are the Chicken Mile! Takeaways on London road with 29 different fried chicken outlets vow to take on fast food giant's £1.5bn expansion plans

Daily Mail​

a day ago

It is dirt cheap, finger-lickin' good and served within seconds, so it's no wonder Britain is in the midst of a fried chicken explosion.
But the soaring demand for golden, crispy chicken dripping in grease has inevitably sparked a boom in takeaways across the country.
From independent outlets that have created a loyal customer base to fast-food giants such as KFC, you don't have to walk far to get your fried chicken fix in Britain anymore.
Whether you love or hate that unmistakable aroma of chicken wafting from the scorching hot oil trays, it's not going away anytime soon - as KFC is gearing up to open 500 new stores across the UK over the next ten years.
With the fast-food giant plotting to expand its empire with a £1.5billion investment, independent chicken shop owners say they do not feel threatened and have vowed to compete.
In one area of London, lovingly dubbed 'Chicken Valley' due to the sheer number of takeaways there are, owners insist there is room for everyone.
A total of 29 fried chicken shops line the four-mile stretch from Streatham High Road to Croydon in south London - making it the street with the highest number in the UK.
Streatham High Road on its own boasts 12 fried chicken shops within a stretch of just under two miles, making it home to almost every famous chicken shop brand, from Morley's to Chicken Cottage.
Royal Wings' manager Mary Angonythas expressed concern at the 'competition' on the road
And if you were to continue straight down the connecting London Road through to West Croydon, you would be able to spot a further 17 shops selling the fried goods.
In short, this means you will pass a shocking 29 fried chicken shops on the single stretch of road from Streatham Hill to West Croydon without turning left or right, according to the Local Data Company.
And that is without accounting for the dozens more chicken shops that lay just off the main road.
MailOnline has spoken to those running the stores who remain confident they can survive KFC's bid to seemingly overthrow them.
Chicken Maxx manager, Mr Inkgaran, 49, doesn't fear any KFC branches or more chicken shops popping up because he is adamant they have the best strips in the Valley.
Adamant their 14-year-old food shop is 'definitely' here to us stay for years to come, he quipped their strips are 'better than any other shops in the area'.
Explaining how their products are better than chicken wing giant KFC, he said: 'Our fillet burger and spicy wings are very good. We have a secret ingredient in our chicken.'
Although a rise in similar lunch spots has made it more difficult to keep customers coming back, they don't see the goliath fried chicken chain as competition.
'KFC is not a competition for us because the prices are very very high and there's a slightly different taste.'
Explaining the popularity behind Chicken Valley, he said: 'It's energy food. People prefer the cheaper prices on offer.
'Some places charge £6 or £7 for only the food, but here they can get burger chips and a drink for £5.49.'
Dubbing it 'good value food' and a 'tradition in the area, he continued: 'The same people who came in the first month of our shop 14 years ago still come in to this day. We are very clean, tasty and have good customer service.'
Customer Lukas Kochowisz, 33, said of the store: 'Everyone comes to this shop its the best in the area. Even my sister comes here its the best around.
'KFC is similar but its like what triple the price. Chains like this are already affecting our businesses so I do think that will continue. If KFC comes here, people will go there instead,' the 38-year-old said.
Shahid Jan, 40, the manager of Crispy Biterz, echoed a similar confidence, saying even though they had only been situated at their new home in Thornton Heath for six months, they feel confident they can take on the neighbouring KFC.
Divulging how their special spicy wings are very popular among locals, he added: 'People don't like to go to the KFCs because its too much money and the taste is horrible.'
Boasting of the chicken shop's ' much better flavour', he felt fairly confident about the prospect the upcoming KFC boom across the UK, adamant they could hold their own.
'Their wings are 80p, but you can buy them here for 50p, thats a 30p difference - and its tastes much better.
'[But] they are a brand and we are still young, We have only been open for six months but lets see.'
Explaining why Chicken Valley has become a phenomenon, he explained: 'People keep asking for chicken shops, they need it. It's cheap and it tastes good.'
Ash Mohammed, manager at Roosters Piri Piri, also felt self-assured their loyal customer base will continue to see them prosper.
'We've had loyal regular customers for more than 10 years, so I think we'll be fine. The same people come in here all the time and I don't think that will stop,' he said.
The 40-year-old also revealed much of their business comes from deliveries since COVID, and as such, he firmly believes 'people will just stick with the same places'.
Vadhu Siye, 26, a staff member at Metro's, had similar thoughts about his customers' loyalty, divulging that although businesses were 'quieter nowadays', he believes chicken shops 'will be fine'.
'We have lots of loyal customers. So no, we're not worried,' he said.
The 40-year-old also said that since Covid, a lot of their business at Roosters Piri Piri comes from deliveries (pictured) – which he doesn't see changing
The Grillo's manger does fear, however, that KFC is a popular chain and people may revert there if they open shops in the area
Owner of Biter's in Croydon, Dawood Chalaria, explained that the amount of chicken shops in the famed Valley helps draw customers from around the capital, as there is plenty of choice for all age groups.
'If you have more of a particular shop in an area, it definitely brings in business. Survival is much easier,' he said.
'So then you are attracting customers who want your product. It drives people in, it is helpful.'
Divulging on how they compete with larger chains, he added: 'If you see KFC, Popeyes etc, they are interacting with machines, there are no human interactions or anything, but if you come here people talk to you. It makes a difference, for us it's about a sense of community - with a chain they can't really do that.'
Customer in Croydon Biter's, Saira Bana, 35, who has been a regular at the store with her friend, Yash Wala, 25, said she would pick Biter's over other fast food chains everytime.
'The quality and price is very good. It's £5 you can get rice, meat and a drink. For me its food I can food that I can afford,' she said.
'I went to McDonalds once and had to wait for 40 minutes for one meal and I paid £8 at lunch time, the waiting time is too long because its so busy, but it's not too much waiting time here.'
Hekmat Khan, manager at Grillo's, was also hopeful that their shop's regulars would remain faithful - but admitted there are some unavoidable pulls to chain restaurants.
'If you have more of a particular shop in an area, it definitely brings in business. Survival is much easier,' he said.
The 24-year-old said: 'We have a lot of loyal customers here and I'd hope they stick with us.
'But of course, KFC is a chain and people know about it and so go there. At the moment, we try to use low prices to compete with other shops.
'But if KFC drop their prices even lower then maybe we will be worried about there being less business here.'
Meanwhile, Mary Angonythas, manager at Royal Wings, had a lot of the same concerns – and said things have been difficult ever since fried chicken exploded in popularity.
She said: 'There are already so many chicken shops around here and it's difficult.
'When we opened here, the council should have told us that there were plans for lots of other chicken shops to open – as then maybe I would have thought about it.
'There's just so much competition. Our business has dropped a lot since other shops started opening.'
Ms Angonythas, 36, continued: 'So we are worried about KFC. It's a franchise – it can offer lower prices.
'We're an independent place and so we can't do that. We have a lot of loyal customers but times are tough.
'Even if I have better quality food, with inflation, people are going to compare prices and they'll go to the place with the lowest price point. That's what I do in the area I live.'
Mohammed Sheeraz, manager at Griller, also felt less than confident about the possible KFC invasion, adding chains were already having an impact on them.
Fhafid Abdul, 27, manager at Abby's Grill, also voiced concerns about further competition, with trade recently becoming 'quieter'.
'It's gotten quieter here recently - which could be because of all the chicken shops along here.'
He added: 'It causes competition. So I imagine things will be different when KFC opens.
'But it's hard to tell for sure - but we'll have to see.'
For Ismail Mohammed, 33, manager at Fresh and Tasty, it all depends on how close the new KFCs are to his shop.
'There are currently KFCs in the area and it makes no difference to us. People live nearby and if they're local, they'll come here,' he said.
'But if one opens next door - that will make a difference. It's a huge chain and people know it. They get drawn to it.'
But Chicken Valley customers have remained adamant they will stay loyal to their local deep-fried wing shops - no matter what happens.
Streatham resident Shuma Begum, 34, said she would definitely not be tempted by KFC - and would instead keep visiting her favourite eatery, Griller.
'I won't be going to KFC - it's on the (Palestine) boycott list. So I'll be sticking with independent places, like here,' she said.
Sally Khan, 42, echoed a similar sentiment, adding she would rather 'keep going' to her local chicken shops.
'It's good to support our local places. I think it tastes better than these huge chains as well,' she said.
Meanwhile, Streatham local Ishak Settimba, 59, said he too would keep visiting his regular chicken shop JJ Best Chicken - but also admitted he may give KFC a go.
The father continued: 'I'll sometimes come here and sometimes I'll visit KFC. It's nice to mix it up - keep it varied. If it's cheaper at KFC then I will go there sometimes.
'But I find that you get less food at those types of places. Here, you get more for what you pay for.'
Abby's Grill manager felt the opening of more KFC's would spark fiercer rivalry between the chicken shops
Staff at Chicken and Drinks were confident that customers would keep choosing them, pointing out their highly rated 'hospitality' and 'customer satisfaction'.
Qudsi Bano, 35, said: 'I don't think it matters if lots of new KFCs open. We already have lots of other chicken places nearby - and yet customers keep coming.
'I think once customers choose you - they keep coming back.'
Her colleague Akhin Tom Matthew, 23, added: 'I think it's because we have high customer satisfaction. That keeps our customer base.
'I also think the hospitality we're providing is great so hopefully that will be better than KFC.'
Elsewhere, the manager of Broasty's Broast Chicken Shop, Abdul Basith, felt confident about their newly opened shop's future in Chicken Valley because of their 'unique product'.
'We are totally different, we have a special sauce, recipes, and signature spices from Dubai, so out chicken is very juicy and unique,' he said.
The 25-year-old explained they had the best sauce and tastiest along the Chicken Mile, adding: '[We] have more flavour than KFC.'
'We only opened in Easter and we are getting better every day. We are continuing to plan for the future. We have around 30 to 40 regular customers.'
Since its first store was founded in Sydenham by Sri Lankan Tamil immigrant Kannalingam Selvendran in 1985, the Morley's brand has grown to become one of the most well-known, with nearly 100 branches across London.
The demand for fried chicken has likely also grown with the influence of social media personalities and celebrity endorsements. Sidemen, the YouTube group popular among teens, sent fans into a frenzy when they opened their own fried chicken chain Sides in 2021.
And Amelia Dimoldenburg's wildly successful Chicken Shop Date series, where she dines with celebrities at local fried chicken shops, is bound to have furthered demand for the already popular fast-food.
Among the run of famous faces who have featured in her series - which began with her interviewing up-and-coming grime artists back in 2014- include Billie Eilish, Daniel Kaluuya, and most recently A-listers Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman.
The Deadpool & Wolverine stars also recently featured on US YouTube talk show Hot Ones with host Sean Evans, where guests answer questions as they eat spicy chicken wings.
'The Chicken Connoisseur' is yet another personality who shot to fame through his dining in fried chicken shops. Elijah Quashie, now 31, began his YouTube channel The Pengest Munch in 2015 where he conducts in-depth reviews of fried chicken 'restaurants'.
Richard Pigott, Slim Chickens UK Operations Director said last year that social media has 'supercharged' the demand for fried chicken.
'It is clear that fried chicken has a long-held affection in the UK, but even we were surprised at how much it's overtaken great British dishes like fish and chips.
'Undoubtedly social media has also supercharged demand for US fast food, playing a crucial role in shaping food trends and influencing people's culinary preferences.'
But, while some are fond of the fried treat, other locals in Streatham feel they should be 'closed down' altogether.
Consultant dietician Rebecca McManamon says the rise of fried chicken shops reflects the state of food poverty in the UK.
The dietician, who is a spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association said: 'The popularity of fried chicken shops is not new but has grown. They provide very cheap meals, often with lunchtime deals and evening deals.
'And it's very concerning because they are highly processed, high fat foods made with low quality meat and provide no fibre for children. But many children go there because it is what their families can afford.
'If a child has it once a year, once every six months, it will probably have no effect.
'But many are eating them once a week, some even every day.'
Ms McManamon used to work in Brent, where restrictions meant no new fried chicken shops could be opened within 400m of a school. But she says more needs to be done on a national scale.
'Children are hungry. Some may not have had lunch. And what is the alternative? It's quite hard to find a good meal elsewhere for the same price.
'There's studies, even dating back over a decade, showing that there is a high prevalence in more deprived areas. In some areas, in 'food deserts', there are no nutritious alternatives.
'It is concerning but we need to bridge that gap, with measures such as free school meals for all primary school children.'