Pedros

What Pedros does

Pedros is a South African quick-service restaurant chain founded in 2018 in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, that operates a single-product franchise model centered on flame-grilled chicken. The company reports a headcount of approximately 1,709 employees and has scaled to over 200 stores across South Africa and into additional markets, with stated intent to continue expanding internationally.

Its core product line is flame-grilled chicken, marketed around a value positioning ("Real flavour. Real value."). The technology surface is limited to standard QSR food-service operations and franchise management; Pedros does not operate a customer-facing mobile app, does not publish an API, has no disclosed integrations or AI/ML capabilities, and holds no patents. The underlying "platform" is its franchise operating model and brand identity rather than a software stack.

Pedros earns revenue through two streams: (1) franchise fees and royalties, comprising initial licensing fees plus ongoing royalty payments tied to franchisee sales, and (2) direct restaurant sales at company-owned or franchise-operated locations. The company does not publicly disclose pricing or unit economics. Its primary customer segment is individual consumers seeking affordable quick-service meals; a secondary segment comprises prospective franchise operators. Geographic reach is centered on Southern Africa, with stated cross-border expansion underway. The company is privately held, with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, or public listing evident in the input.

Name

Pedros

Legal name

Pedros

Website

https://pedroschicken.simplify.hr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Pedros is a South African quick-service restaurant chain founded in 2018 that franchises a flame-grilled chicken concept across 200+ stores in South Africa and additional markets. It serves individual consumers seeking affordable flame-grilled meals and prospective franchise operators, earning revenue through franchise royalties and direct restaurant sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Franchise fees and royalties: Revenue generated from franchisees through initial licensing fees and ongoing royalty payments based on franchisee sales
2. Direct restaurant sales: Revenue from direct food sales at company-owned or franchise restaurants

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Pedros is a South African quick-service restaurant chain that sells flame-grilled chicken meals and related fast-food items at value price points through more than 200 stores, the majority of which operate as licensed franchise locations. Revenue is generated through in-store food sales to consumers and through franchise fees and ongoing royalties paid by franchise operators licensing the brand and operating model.

Product overview

Pedros is a South African fast-food restaurant chain offering a single unified product line centered on Flame Grilled Chicken. Founded in 2018 with their first store, the brand has grown to over 200 stores across South Africa and expanding internationally. Their core product offering consists of flame-grilled chicken served at great prices, positioning themselves to disrupt the fast-food industry by setting trends rather than following them. The company operates as a franchise-style retail food service brand.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Flame Grilled Chicken Meals Pedros' signature flame-grilled chicken meals and related fast-food items served at quick-service restaurant locations for individual consumer dine-in and takeaway across South Africa and beyond.
• Pedros Franchise License Franchise licensing program that allows independent operators to open and operate Pedros-branded flame-grilled chicken restaurants, paying initial franchise fees and ongoing royalties to the brand.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Nando's: Global flame-grilled chicken QSR with strong South African roots and franchise presence. Closely comparable product positioning (flame-grilled chicken) and category to Pedros.
• Wingstop: US-listed chicken-focused QSR with a predominantly franchise-operated footprint. Comparable chicken-centric menu strategy and franchise-led unit economics.
• Chicken Licken: South African chicken-focused QSR chain with a similar value-priced positioning and franchise-style growth model. Closest direct competitor to Pedros in the local market.
• Hungry Lion: Africa-focused fried-chicken QSR chain operating across multiple Southern African markets. Directly comparable store model, price point, and customer base to Pedros.
• Bojangles: US chicken-and-biscuits QSR chain operating largely through franchised units. Comparable single-category chicken focus and franchise expansion model.
• Church's Chicken: Global fried-chicken QSR with strong presence in emerging markets. Comparable value positioning, franchised model, and category overlap with Pedros.

Broad incumbents

• KFC (Yum! Brands): Dominant fried-chicken QSR globally and the largest chicken QSR incumbent in South Africa. Overlaps directly with Pedros on product category and target consumer; vastly larger scale and marketing spend.
• Chick-fil-A: Largest US chicken QSR by sales, operator-licensee model. Benchmarks franchise-style chicken QSR scale and brand-driven growth, although US-centric.
• McDonald's: Largest global QSR incumbent with significant South African presence. Competes with Pedros for quick-service meals occasions and labor, despite broader menu.

Others

• Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen:

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pedros-chicken

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pedros