Red Rooster

For other uses, see Red Rooster (disambiguation).

Red Rooster

Type	Private
Industry	Fast food restaurants
Founded	1972 in Kelmscott, Western Australia Franchising commenced in 1979
Headquarters	Balcatta, Western Australia
Key people	Kailis family, Founders
Products	Fast food, including subs, baguettes, wraps , burgers, salads, desserts,
Employees	5000
Website	redrooster.com.au

Red Rooster restaurant in Wagga Wagga

Red Rooster at Waratah Village Shopping Centre in Newcastle.

Red Rooster is an Australian fast food restaurant chain. Red Rooster specialises in selling roasted chicken and other related products.

History

The Kailis family opened the first Red Rooster store in the Perth suburb of Kelmscott, Western Australia in 1972. Myer Emporium purchased the business in July 1981. In 1992, Red Rooster bought the Big Rooster chain to expand into the eastern states. These stores were re-branded as Red Rooster. In May 2002, after several years of being owned by Coles Group (then known as Coles Myer), Red Rooster was purchased by Western Australian company Australian Fast Foods Pty Limited, who owned the competing Chicken Treat fast food chain. Currently there are over 360 Red Rooster stores in Australia represented in all states and territories of Australia except Tasmania.

In April 2007, Red Rooster and Chicken Treat were sold by Australian Fast Foods for A$180 million to a consortium formed by the management and the venture capital arm of Westpac known as Quadrant Capital.

In April 2009, the Red Rooster chain in New Zealand closed its stores.

Red Rooster employs over 7,500 people.

During 2010, Red Rooster was undergoing a strategic plan, moving company owned stores to franchises. To date the business has achieved a 50% level but aims to have only 100 stores company owned in 2010.

In June 2011, Quadrant Capital sold Quick Service Restaurants, which owns the Red Rooster chain, for AU$450 million to Archer Capital.

Menu

Until the late 1990s the stores were only open from lunchtime until about 9 pm. Since then they have extended trading hours. They have also begun selling low-fat and lower-salt products in response to consumer demand for 'healthy' meals.^{[citation needed]}

Red Rooster chicken is generally served as a full portion of chicken, either 1/2 and 1/4 chicken, rather than individual pieces, though it is available. Chips are usually served with the 1/4 and 1/2 chickens as a Classic quarter and Classic half, respectively. Red Rooster serves chips in a special seasoning.^{[citation needed]}

In 2007, Red Rooster introduced a new product line of fish and chips and fish related products, the most recent of which being squid, prawns and the Fish Wrap and burgers.^{[citation needed]}

In addition to its chicken and seafood Red Rooster also serves skin free chicken available separately as fillets or with chips, salad, in a baguette or wrapped in a tortilla) as well as "wraps" a Flayva which is mild spicy chicken strips with summer sauce, cheese, lettuce, and tomato) or a Strip Sub, now renamed as the "Rippa Sub" due to new rip open packaging, which has mild spicy strips, with the choice of classic summer sauce, mild chili & garlic aioli or smokey barbecue sauce and lettuce, or burgers, these can be a fillet burger which has a fillet, lettuce, tomato and cheese with mayonnaise, a real bacon burger which omits the mayonnaise and tomato for barbecue sauce and 'steak style' bacon or a cheese burger which has a special smaller patty (chicken), tomato sauce and cheese.^{[citation needed]}

New additions include the Ferguson Valley skin free Ultimate or Deluxe burger in response to Mcdonald's premium meat range. This new addition comprises ingredients like sweet onion relish, avocado spread and coon age old cheese.

Marketing and promotions

Over the years, Red Rooster has utilised various slogans and campaigns but they mainly focus on the name "Red Rooster" or at least the word "Red". A popular jingle of the 1980s and early 1990s used the words "Are you Red Red, Ready Red Rooster".^{[citation needed]}

Presently they are using the "It's gotta be red" type slogan and campaign, where Tom Gleeson (an Australian comedian) asks Americans where a Red Rooster can be found, (the ad mostly shows Americans confused about the concept of 'roast' chicken), along with other Australianisms such as mentioning the word "Ute".^{[citation needed]}

In 2010, Red Rooster launched the initiative of social responsibility whereby the company would cease advertising kids meals through any media under an agreement made with The Australian Association of National Advertisers.

In 2011, the brand made a shift to focusing on its healthy, fresh and quick service restaurant appeal. Through this Red Rooster established a new slogan called "Don't think twice" highlighting why a consumer wouldn't have to think about enjoying Red Rooster compared to its competitors.

See also

• Oporto - Part of the QSR Holdings Group (Red Rooster)

External links

• Official Red Rooster Website
• Official Red Rooster Catering Website
• Red Rooster Nutritional Information from CalorieKing (an independent site)