If Canberra had a catchphrase, it would probably be ‘unbelievable chicken… awesome chips,’ because any local worth their (chicken) salt knows the Canberra institution, Kingsley’s Chicken, which has just turned 40.
Kingsley’s has become part of the furniture, along with our iconic Telstra Tower and Parliament House, but it smells better. I live just down the road from the Kippax franchise, one of eight throughout Canberra, and Kingsley’s has come a long way since it first opened in Woden Plaza in 1984.
In keeping with Canberra’s underdog persona, Kingsley’s Chicken is a tough little competitor – like David against major fast-food corporation Goliaths. It’s got a lot of guts and tenacity (it’s certainly no chicken).
Today, Kingsley’s is still owned by its namesake and founder, Kingsley Varr, and his wife, co-director, Jenny Stead, and there must be something in the cooking oil because two former employees have gone on to become major artists.
Shovelling chips at the Queanbeyan outlet was author, poet and rapper, Omar Musa, along with Canberra hip hop artist Citizen Kay (aka Kojo Ansah). They both went straight from the deep fryer to stardom. Awesome.
A trawl through old newspaper articles at the National Library of Australia reveals that Kingsley’s almost never happened. If it wasn’t for Australia’s accountancy qualification requirements, Canberra would never have its crinkle-cut chips.
When Kingsley Varr came to Australia in 1984, he never had aspirations to be a fast food-chain owner because he was an accountant (trained in Malaysia and Britain). After discovering that, he needed more study in order to practise in Australia, he looked for another vocation.
Rather than crunching numbers, Kingsley perfected the crunchy chip and bought a chicken shop in Woden Plaza – Kingsley’s Chicken Pty Ltd was born.
A pretty brave move in the face of KFC’s market domination but Kingsley adopted a quaint “corner store” approach – a family business with the same person serving you each day, who gets to know your name. Colonel Sanders doesn’t know Canberra intimately the way Kingsley’s does.
Back in 1991, Kingsley Varr was reported as saying he would be “very careful before opening a fourth shop”. Today, he runs eight outlets across Canberra. So much for the accountancy career.
A new YouTube video about Kingsley’s Chicken, created by Canberra lifestyle video magazine Mustard Flats, has already racked up thousands of views. Canberrans love their deep-fried nostalgia.
If you’re wondering how Kingsley’s came up with that famous slogan, it’s thanks to the school kids waiting for a bus at the old Woden Bus Interchange.
Kingsley’s staff at Woden Plaza were sent out into the public by their boss to conduct an impromptu survey of their food. So, armed with chips and gravy, they gave school kids at the Woden Bus Interchange a free taste. The most common response (it was the ‘80s after all), was “awesome”. The slogan was born and the rest is history.
