Red Rooster on prowl for more sites in NZ

Julene Gunson and Ty Rix serve barbecue-roasted chicken at the new Red Rooster restaurant in east Auckland. Picture / Glenn Jeffrey

Australian chicken chain Red Rooster opened its second store in Auckland yesterday, but said a lack of suitable sites was preventing the fast-food company from spreading its wings.

The new outlet, near the Botany Town Centre on Te Irirangi Drive, follows the introduction of the barbecue roast chicken brand to New Zealand in December.

Its maiden Takanini outlet has proved to be the second most successful in Australasia.

However, the rollout of further stores here has been slower than expected due to difficulty in securing sites suitable for "quick-serve" restaurants. Red Rooster NZ - a group of local investors who brought the chain here - planned to open 10 outlets in Auckland and the upper North Island within their first year of operation.

Managing director Mike Ryan said rather than a lack of sites, the problem was a lack of investors willing to release them to local developers.

Red Rooster is Australia's largest barbecue chicken operator. Owned by Australian Fast Foods, it has more than 400 outlets.

It describes Red Rooster as a healthier option because the chicken is barbecue-roasted rather than deep-fried.