How fried hen outlets have taken over Britain

They are cheap, fast, and not to mention finger-lickin’ good, so little wonder fried chicken has grown to become a British staple.

For many, their local fried chicken shop fills them with a ‘sense of nostalgia’, transporting them back to a memory of where they would go with friends after school, but for others, well they vow never to feed their children such ‘rubbish’.

And while some experts say its popular status is due to its affordable prices which target ‘deprived areas’, others point to its influence through social media and celebrity trends.

To investigate, MailOnline visited the street in the UK with the highest number of fried chicken spots: Streatham High Road, south London.

With a staggering 12 fried chicken shops within a stretch of just under two miles, Streatham High Road is home to almost every famous chicken shop brand, from Morley’s to Chicken Cottage.

And if you were to continue straight down the connecting London Road through to West Croydon, you would be able to spot a further 17 shops selling the fried goods. 

In short, this means you will pass a shocking 29 fried chicken shops on the single stretch of road from Streatham Hill to West Croydon without turning left or right, according to the Local Data Company.

And that is without accounting for the dozens more chicken shops that lay just off the main road.

At one Morley’s branch situated close to Streatham Hill station, a worker told of how the store has been in business for more two decades.

‘People always come here because it is affordable, it’s a quick and easy option for families, adults and schoolchildren’, says John.

‘This store has been here for more than 25 years, and its remained quite busy throughout. 

‘Fridays and Saturdays tend to be our busiest days as you get children and families coming by to grab a meal.’

Since its first store was founded in Sydenham by Sri Lankan Tamil immigrant Kannalingam Selvendran in 1985, the Morley’s brand has grown to become one of the most well-known, with nearly 100 branches across London.

And it isn’t just locals who venture to their nearest branch.

Ordering the spicy wings and chips meal she saw on social media, tourist Victoria Andrews said: ‘I’d heard about Morley’s on TikTok and wanted to try it out.

‘I tried the branch down the road the other day and now wanted to try this one.

‘People on TikTok were raving about it so I thought “why not?”

The 21-year-old said: ‘I’m from South Africa and fried chicken is quite a big thing there too.

‘It’s my first time travelling alone in London and I saw it on TikTok. I wanted to try something different from KFC or any other large chains that we have in South Africa.

‘It’s also cheap, it’s affordable.’

Meanwhile Reece, who works in the area and had just ordered at his to-go choice Royal Wings, said chicken shops are ‘historic’.

‘It’s a quick fix. If I’m on an hour break at lunch, I don’t want to wait long to get a hot meal. It doesn’t eat much into my time.’

‘It’s also just historic.

‘There’s definitely an ethnic side to it, you typically find them in working class, diverse areas.

‘It’s easily accessible for families in terms of finance so it’s just a go-to growing up.

‘Growing up, it was always Morley’s if we had a meal out.

‘Hard-pressed families are obviously more likely to lean towards a chicken shop over caviar.’

Though, he noted: ‘That said, nowadays you’ve got chicken shops in nicer areas too.

‘Once upon a time they used to be localised in working class areas. Now they’re all over the place.’

The demand for fried chicken has likely also grown with the influence of social media personalities and celebrity endorsements. Sidemen, the YouTube group popular among teens, sent fans into a frenzy when they opened their own fried chicken chain Sides in 2021.

And Amelia Dimoldenburg’s wildly successful Chicken Shop Date series, where she dines with celebrities at local fried chicken shops, is bound to have furthered demand for the already popular fast-food.

Among the run of famous faces who have featured in her series – which began with her interviewing up-and-coming grime artists back in 2014-  include Billie Eilish, Daniel Kaluuya, and most recently A-listers Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman.

The Deadpool & Wolverine stars also recently featured on US YouTube talk show Hot Ones with host Sean Evans, where guests answer questions as they eat spicy chicken wings.

‘The Chicken Connoisseur’ is yet another personality who shot to fame through his dining in fried chicken shops. Elijah Quashie, now 31, began his YouTube channel The Pengest Munch in 2015 where he conducts in-depth reviews of fried chicken ‘restaurants’.

Richard Pigott, Slim Chickens UK Operations Director said last year that social media has ‘supercharged’ the demand for fried chicken.

‘It is clear that fried chicken has a long-held affection in the UK, but even we were surprised at how much it’s overtaken great British dishes like fish and chips.

‘Undoubtedly social media has also supercharged demand for US fast food, playing a crucial role in shaping food trends and influencing people’s culinary preferences.’

But, while some are fond of the fried treat, other locals in Streatham feel they should be ‘closed down’ altogether.

Frances Robins, who has lived in the Streatham area since 1976, says the quality of the food as ‘appalling’ and worries that schoolchildren are consuming too much of it.

Calling for their closure, she said: ‘It’s terrible food. Close them down.

‘It’s just not healthy, is it? I see students and children going in there all the time and it’s not good for them.

‘The quality is appalling. I wouldn’t have given it to my kids when they growing up.

‘We shouldn’t have them at all. We don’t know what they use in the food, the oil is probably sitting by the side all day.’

The 79-year-old added: ‘When kids come out of school, they go straight to there. The quality of food for kids needs to be improved.

‘I’ve lived here since 1976, it’s changed completely. 

‘We used to have butchers’ shops and John Lewis, now you’ve got a lot of chicken shops and takeaways.

‘Parents need to cook more. People say cost-of-living, but it’s possible to cook at home for cheap.

‘It’s just a habit. Fast food has made people lazy. If it wasn’t there, they’d have to cook.’

Echoing the Streatham resident’s concerns, consultant dietician Rebecca McManamon says the rise of fried chicken shops reflects the state of food poverty in the UK.

The dietician, who is a spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association said: ‘The popularity of fried chicken shops is not new but has grown. They provide very cheap meals, often with lunchtime deals and evening deals.

‘And it’s very concerning because they are highly processed, high fat foods made with low quality meat and provide no fibre for children. But many children go there because it is what their families can afford.

‘If a child has it once a year, once every six months, it will probably have no effect.

‘But many are eating them once a week, some even every day.’

Ms McManamon used to work in Brent, where restrictions meant no new fried chicken shops could be opened within 400m of a school. But she says more needs to be done on a national scale.

‘Children are hungry. Some may not have had lunch. And what is the alternative? It’s quite hard to find a good meal elsewhere for the same price.

‘There’s studies, even dating back over a decade, showing that there is a high prevalence in more deprived areas. In some areas, in ‘food deserts’, there are no nutritious alternatives.

‘It is concerning but we need to bridge that gap, with measures such as free school meals for all primary school children.’

For many locals in areas where chicken shops are prevalent, they say they grew up with it and understand the appeal, while still acknowledging it is ‘not the best quality’. 

Kim D, a 37-year-old who lives in Streatham, said she had been vegetarian for around 15 years but recently gave in to the craving of fried chicken.

‘There’s a nostalgia element to it.

‘For me, growing up we’d go there for lunch during school, we’d go there after school sometimes.

‘As an adult, I obviously now think the quality is poor. It’s probably not great for you, we don’t really even know what’s in it.

‘But it’s cheap. For many people they can’t afford much else. Chicken shops are popping up more now because people need to eat and can’t afford a big meal out.

‘Around here, people are often working in the area or travel through, so it’s an easy option and it’s quite common to have to spend a fiver for lunch now.’

Speaking of her relationship with chicken shops, she added: ‘It’s just this warm and fuzzy feeling you get because it’s nostalgia, but then afterwards you feel sick and you realise your body doesn’t like it.

‘For two months I craved it. I hadn’t eaten meat for like 15 years and randomly I was craving it for a few months and I gave in. I’m counting this year as a wash though.’

At Sunny Hill Chicken, previously a Morley’s, situated just off Streatham High Road, manager Kavithan allowed us to watch him make their popular chicken fillet burger in the kitchen.

He said, while constructing the meal: ‘You have regulars that will always come.

‘Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays are the busiest. It’s tasty and it’s easy, just a quick grab-and-go.

‘We get a lot of children coming in here, there’s a Kumon centre nearby and a school down the road.

‘Most people come in to get it as a treat on a Friday or the weekend.

‘Spicy wings are definitely our best seller.’

But for Streatham locals Sharon Edwards and Alberta Wilson, they feel the plethora of chicken shops are only present in working class areas and are ‘targeting schoolchildren’.

They said: ‘It’s only in deprived areas, you don’t find them in affluent areas. 

‘Schoolchildren in these areas are being targeted, they are always around the schools.

‘They have a bit of pocket money and are hungry at the end of the school day and go there.

‘They just aren’t a thing in affluent areas.

‘It’s unhealthy but schoolchildren get it because it’s quick to eat and affordable.

‘They eat it on the buses and then leave the rubbish on the bus too, sometimes on the seats.

‘It’s become a culture of the country but it’s not good.’

They added: ‘Working-class, poor families, sometimes if they haven’t cooked, that’s where they can afford to go.

‘Occasionally it’s okay, but now you’ve got so many everywhere.

‘Before it would be a few randomly dotted around, now wherever a high street is, they are infested with chicken shops.’

Isaac Bogere, 32, had just order his usual at Sunny Hill Chicken when he said: ‘It’s easy.

‘It’s cheap and local. Easy to get, just around the corner.

‘It’s definitely something a lot of us grew up with.

‘This shop used to be a Morley’s for years so I’ve always come here, then it changed to Sunnyhill but it’s still good.’

Parts of Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Redbridge are also fried chicken hotspots, with several located on its high streets.

In fact, a count of chicken shops on Ilford Lane, Redbridge, showed there were 10 fried chicken spots within a one-mile stretch, the equivalent of one for every 144 metres.

Mother-of-two Lily Thomas, 39, called the number of chicken shops along Streatham High Road ‘ubiquitous’.

She said: ‘It’s not really a product we tend to buy. We’d rather go to a coffee shop or there’s a great Lebanese place down the road.

‘It is a bit strange the number of chicken shops along the High Road. It’s so ubiquitous and not very necessary.

‘I’ve got two young kids and I just wouldn’t feed them that.

‘Sometimes I notice chicken on the floor down the way that goes towards Brixton Hill.

‘There’ll just be chicken boxes and bones around the bins and on the floor.

‘I just think there is so much on this High Road; coffee shops, great small businesses and restaurants. But for some reason there’s an appetite for fried chicken.

‘It’s not a to-go for us.’

She added: ‘There seem to be a lot of them around secondary schools.

‘You see kids going straight there after school with their pocket money and its not great.’

For many, fried chicken shops are also an easy way to meet friends and socialise without having to worry about breaking the bank. 

Ruby Lily Tandoh, 86, who lives close by in Brixton Hill, says fried chicken shops have helped make the area livelier.

She said: ‘It’s a place for people to go and socialise for fairly cheap.

‘I like having them around, they make the place lively.

‘Sometimes you want a change from your own cooking, or friends are coming over and you don’t want to spend the day cooking.

‘It’s very easy and there are lots of different options. People come from outside the area to eat out here.

‘It’s affordable and reasonable. Especially after lockdown, you need places that are easy to go and socialise. 

Ms Tandoh’s sentiments were not echoed by Streatham local Anna, who says she wants them gone.

She said: ‘I don’t want them on the high street.

‘I want a Waitrose, I don’t want chicken shops and takeaways.

‘I’m very much against it. There is an obesity crisis.

‘Around 3 to 4pm you see the schoolchildren at the chicken shops. That’s where they go.

‘It’s not good. It’s smelly, deep-fried.

‘And people start eating them on the buses too.’

With their increasing prevalence on high roads, some have even begun selling a range of items alongside fried chicken. 

Ali Yasir, 39, works at Grill Hill Xpress which offers a range of grilled and fried chicken meals as well as pizzas, kebabs and biryanis.

He said: ‘Chicken, kebabs, biryanis, we sell them all.

‘We mainly get families coming in, and also people travelling through the area. A lot of people travel through here for work, so they’ll just stop by on the way back and grab a meal.

‘It’s all about the unique tastes we offer, we have some special sauces.

‘We do deals as well; single person deals, lunchtime deals, dinner deals. It’s good tasting food at a cheap price.

‘It’s also halal so it’s accessible to everyone.

‘Our special Supersmash burger is a hit with customers.’