Rohloff Group has grown to become one of the largest KFC franchise partners in Africa. We dig into the group’s expansion, including the recent opening of its 100th store, journey of innovation, and support for communities through the Add Hope programme.
FINGER LICKIN’ SUCCESS
KFC has been making its world-famous, Finger Lickin’ Good fried chicken since 1952.
The story begins with Colonel Sanders who, after serving in the US Army, started running service stations in Nicholasville and Corbin, Kentucky, US.
There, he served his delicious fried chicken to interstate travellers, eventually perfecting the pressure cooker method and his Original Recipe, which remains a closely held secret to this day.
Since starting with this unique blend of 11 herbs and spices, KFC has grown from its first franchise near Salt Lake City, Utah, US into an iconic brand across the world.
Today, KFC has the widest global footprint of any quick-service restaurant (QSR) brand with more than 28,000 stores in 150 countries and territories across the world.
The company sees big growth opportunities in many markets across the world and strives to be the number one QSR in every market where it operates.
KFC is the leading global fast-food chain in Africa, where the company opened its first restaurant in 1971 in Orange Grove, a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa (SA).
Over 1,400 KFC restaurants have now been opened across Africa, the vast majority of which are in SA, its largest market on the continent. Indeed, KFC has more outlets in SA than any other fast-food brand.
The vast majority of these locations are franchised, with only a small number directly owned by KFC’s parent company, Yum! Brands.
RESTAURANT OPENINGS
Rohloff Group (Rohloff) has grown to become one of the largest KFC franchise partners in Africa and is looking to double the size of the business in the next five years.
The group has recently announced the opening of a number of new restaurants, including KFC Mall of the South in Johannesburg, which opened its doors on 18th November 2025.
Nestled in the beautiful, gated suburb of Aspen Hills, Mall of the South is one of Johannesburg’s premier shopping destinations, offering a vibrant mix of retail, dining, and entertainment.
Just over a week later, on 27th November, Rohloff celebrated another exciting milestone – the opening of its 100th restaurant, KFC Omni Square, set within a new luxury shopping centre in Bassonia, Johannesburg.
Rohloff was incredibly proud of this achievement and joined by the Yum! Brands leadership team for this special occasion.
In December, Rohloff then announced the openings of a further three stores, the first of which was KFC Monument in Krugersdorp, a city in the Gauteng province of SA.
This opening created 28 new jobs and was a testament to the relentless dedication and collaboration across all teams within Rohloff as every effort, from planning and development to execution, played a vital role in turning this vision into a reality.
On 19th December, Rohloff was thrilled to announce the opening of KFC Strand Broadway, bringing even more great food and experiences to the local community in Strand, a seaside resort town in SA’s Western Cape.
Impressively, this restaurant created 40 new job opportunities, reinforcing the group’s ongoing commitment to empowering local communities and driving meaningful economic impact.
KFC Doornkop was then officially opened a few days later, an achievement that reflects the group’s continued commitment to growth, service, and community impact.
Indeed, one of the highlights of this opening is the creation of 22 new jobs within Doornkop, a ridge and locality on the western outskirts of Soweto in the Gauteng province.
Rohloff is incredibly proud to contribute to meaningful employment opportunities and help empower the local area through this investment.
DIGITAL STRATEGY
KFC Mall of the South, KFC Omni Square, and KFC Monument all offer multiple convenient ordering channels.
These include kiosks for quick self-service, a drive-thru for on-the-go convenience, and the KFC app for easy ordering, allowing customers to choose collection or delivery and enjoy all available promotions and rewards.
Through kiosks, digitised drive-thrus, and updated e-commerce platforms, KFC is delivering quick and seamless experiences for enjoying its food – no matter where customers are or how they choose to order.
Using data-driven listening and automation, the chain is incorporating feedback in real-time and making it easier to manage its restaurants, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to go farther, faster.
A few years ago, Rohloff was recognised as a leader in KFC’s digital strategy and its contribution to growing the brand’s e-commerce footprint.
As franchise leaders in the digital space, Rohloff was proud to have been recognised and looks forward to breaking barriers in the future.
Rohloff was also thrilled to have won two prestigious awards at the 2025 KFC Africa #1Leaders conference.
In the Digital Restaurant category, KFC Gardens proudly secured first place, showcasing its commitment to excellence and innovation in the digital space.
KFC Parklands also achieved third place in the same category, further highlighting Rohloff’s dedication to leading with cutting-edge digital strategies.
Rohloff was honoured to be recognised by KFC Africa and is committed to continuing its journey of innovation as part of its 100 percent digital strategy.
This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of Rohloff’s incredible team, and the group will continue to set new standards and lead the way in digital transformation.
AWARD-WINNING FRANCHISE PARTNER
Rohloff was named Franchise Partner of the Year 2024 at the annual KFC Africa Franchisee Summit, held in Johannesburg last year.
This incredible honour celebrates the team’s dedication to operational excellence, innovation, talent development, and making a meaningful difference in its communities.
It’s a moment that reflects the collective effort, passion, and purpose driving every part of the business.
Some highlights that helped Rohloff shine include strong investment in growing and empowering its people, continued innovation in how it serves customers, a focus on delivering great service and Finger Lickin’ Good food every day, and ongoing support and involvement in its local communities.
Following the award, Rohloff had the honour of hosting its valued partners at its Somerset West office in the Western Cape.
It had the pleasure of welcoming KFC’s Global CEO, Scott Mezvinsky, and Global Chief Technology and Digital Officer, Judd Knight.
They were also accompanied by the KFC Africa leadership team, headed by General Manager, Akhona Qengqe.
Rohloff thoroughly enjoyed sharing its space, culture, and the way it works with these executive leaders, and it was a fantastic opportunity to exchange ideas, strengthen relationships, and showcase the passion behind what the group does every day.
During the visit, Rohloff showcased two of its restaurants, giving the guests a taste of the passion and excellence it brings to every experience.
The group’s team members welcomed them with a heartfelt song and dance – a celebration of Rohloff’s culture, spirit, and the joy it finds in serving others.
Rohloff was also proud to be recognised as Culture Leader of the Year 2024, acknowledging its commitment to creating a workplace where people feel valued, included, and inspired to grow.
This achievement was a celebration of the heart and soul of Rohloff – its incredible teams, who bring their best to work every day.
HIGH-PERFORMANCE CULTURE
In August 2025, meanwhile, Rohloff was also recognised by the Chartered Institute for Procurement and Supply (CIPS), the world’s largest procurement professional body, for Best Collaborative Teamwork Project.
This award celebrates the power of collaboration, driving impactful results in procurement and the supply chain.
It was another proud moment for Rohloff, with huge congratulations to the procurement team for driving excellence and consistency throughout the business.
Their hard work and dedication continue to raise the bar, ensuring Rohloff delivers the very best for its customers and partners.
Rohloff strives to be best-in-class – leading with innovation, influence, and a commitment to exceeding expectations.
Its goal is to be the preferred choice for customers, driving a high-performance culture that delivers meaningful results and positively impacts lives.
Rohloff boasts a high-performance culture focused on the ultimate guest experience to satisfy every customer.
The group strives to be an employer of choice and embraces a heart-led culture through leadership programmes in its restaurants and at its Restaurant Support Centre in Somerset West.
It believes in creating a fully inclusive work environment, cultivating a workplace where diversity of thought and perspective is welcomed, sought out, and developed.
Rohloff has built a unique culture where everyone can be their best self, make a difference, and have fun, and prides itself on being a hands-on and innovative business partner that leads by example.
EXCEPTIONAL TALENT
Rohloff is always on the lookout for exceptional talent and opening new roles for individuals to join the team.
The group invites anyone who is passionate about joining a dynamic, fast-paced organisation and contributing to its success to explore upcoming vacancies.
To assist with talent acquisition, it has recently hired a passionate, strategic, and detail-oriented Talent and Recruitment Practitioner to join the team in Somerset West.
This position was for someone that is driven by the opportunity to connect exceptional talent with meaningful roles and believes every great hire for business success.
Along with the Talent and Recruitment Practitioner, Rohloff is hiring a Talent and Culture Administrator driven by a passion for people, purpose, and operational excellence.
This role presents resents an exciting opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the strategic and day‑to‑day success of Rohloff’s HR function.
The Talent and Culture Administrator will deliver efficient and accurate administrative support across critical areas such as recruitment, onboarding, training coordination, and compliance.
Their commitment to service excellence will help ensure smooth HR operations and support the creation of a positive, engaging workplace culture that drives the continued growth and success of Rohloff.
ADD HOPE PROGRAMME
KFC prides itself on its chicken but is also committed to being a good neighbour in the heart of the communities where it has restaurants.
The chain believes in feeding people’s potential in local communities – and it does that by investing in the next generation, creating a more sustainable and equitable future for young people, and empowering them to reach their full potential.
With nearly one million team members serving thousands of communities, KFC has a passion for feeding people’s potential.
Its global food donation programme, for example, shares surplus protein-rich chicken to those who need it, whilst upskilling programmes for youth, women, refugees, and people with disabilities creates confidence and unlocks opportunities for a brighter future.
Rohloff supports its local communities through KFC’s Add Hope programme, which provides funding to feed children in need.
Customers can voluntarily donate ZAR2 to their bill every time they visit their local restaurant which, combined with KFC’s contributions, feed nutritious meals to children throughout SA.
In 2024, Add Hope reached more than 150,000 children and served over 41 million meals.
This contributes to a brighter future for these children as they will be able to focus once they have a full stomach, which fuels them to learn, grow, and thrive.
Rohloff partners with several Add Hope beneficiaries nationally to provide vital nutrition to children in need.
All proceeds raised through Add Hope go directly to non-profit organisations (NPOs), which focus on ending childhood hunger through the KFC Social Responsibility Trust.
The trust oversees customer donations and KFC contributions through rigorous partner vetting, KPMG audits, and independent reviews.
CHANGING LIVES
KFC’s hope is that everyone who donates to Add Hope is reassured that their ZAR2s are changing lives.
Since the programme’s inception, it has raised ZAR1.2 billion and fed the potential of hundreds of thousands of children – but it hasn’t been as simple as it sounds.
As Add Hope has grown, KFC has built frameworks for governance, fundraising, partnerships, reporting and finance, communications and storytelling, internal buy-in and brand integration, and systems architecture.
It’s a finely tuned recipe for youth potential built on a foundation of deep integrity, and each ingredient plays a role in making Add Hope impactful and sustainable.
Now, KFC is open-sourcing its Add Hope blueprint to drive growth and challenging some of the nation’s brightest young minds to build upon the blueprint and make it more adaptable, responsive, and scalable.
KFC’s aim is nothing less than the end of child hunger in SA. By turning the Add Hope playbook into a blueprint anyone can use, the chain is showing that hope lights the way to a brighter future – and that it isn’t a secret, but a solution.
Together, Rohloff remains committed to building a business that leaves a lasting, positive impact.
ROHLOFF GROUP PARTNER
