For years, Krispy Krunchy has considered expanding its presence outside of the United States—and it has received plenty of requests to do so, too. That vision is finally materializing as the chicken brand prepares to enter Southeast Asia at the end of 2015.
The Lafayette, La.-based company expects to open at least 15 locations in Malaysia in franchised convenience stores by the end of the year. The rollouts will continue throughout Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka in 2016 and beyond.
“Most of our international leads come from that general area—China and India as well,” says Allison Shapiro, director of technology and marketing for Krispy Krunchy. But the company hadn’t acted on the opportunity until now, wanting to be thoughtful about how to translate an American brand overseas.
The move abroad comes as Krispy Krunchy continues its steady growth stateside, including 400 new locations so far this year, bringing its location count to just more than 1,800. It has been averaging 10 or so store openings a week since the beginning of 2014.
The company attributes some of its growth to its relationship with Circle K, who identifies Krispy Krunchy’s franchise-fee-free concept as the option for its franchisees who want a chicken program.
“We have a ton of locations going up in California, and many of them are Circle K’s. That relationship has been building and building,” says Neal Onebane, president and founder.
Meanwhile, Onebane, executive vice president Dan Shapiro and the rest of the team are fully focused on preparing Malaysia and beyond for Krispy Krunchy’s Cajun-style chicken and biscuits. They’re finalizing menus and marketing materials, identifying training support and setting up a poultry plant to supply locations with Krispy Krunchy’s fresh-never-frozen chicken.
Part of the strong match between Krispy Krunchy and this part of world is the large percentage of Muslim residents, which means no pork products. The menu will be relatively the same as it is stateside, but Onebane expects to develop some new sauces to match the flavor preferences of the region, such as curries and other varieties with some heat. “We’re excited to experiment over there and maybe bring some [new items] here,” he says.
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