Aussies' love of fried chicken fires record revenue for operator of hundreds of KFC restaurants in Australia, Collins Foods

The operator of hundreds of KFC restaurants in Australia has booked record revenue despite cost-of-living pressures, as new products like the Zinger Banh Mi drew in more customers. Collins Foods, which operates KFC restaurants in Australia, Germany and the Netherlands, posted a big jump in full-year bottom-line net profit to $44.2 million, from $8.8m previously. After excluding a one-off $7.3m class-action settlement over ten-minute rest breaks, the result came to $47.1m - a gain of 280.5 per cent. Sales revenue hit a record $1.6 billion for the year ended May 3, up 8.6 per cent. The majority of its 384 KFC restaurants, or 296, are in Australia. Collins Food also had Taco Bell restaurants in Australia, but is selling 20 of those businesses to a joint venture and closing the remaining seven, resulting in a $400,000 segment loss. The offloading will be completed by the end of August. The group also saw a big jump in online orders, with that segment accounting for 43.2 per cent of total Australian sales in fiscal 2026 of $1.2. “The KFC brand continued to modernise, leveraging core product innovations, including Zinger Banh Mi, Upside Down Double and Hot & Crispy Wrap, all of which attracted new users,” it told the stock exchange on Tuesday. In the first eight weeks of its fiscal 2027 year, sales continued to rise on the back of a 6.7 per cent gain for its Australian KFC arm. “Australia continued to perform strongly and remains the main driver of Collins’ Food’s profitability,” it said. Investors will receive a final dividend of 15 cents, taking the total for the year to 28 cents.