Kingsley’s Chicken – Canberra’s iconic “awesome chips” eatery – has been sold to new owners 40 years after it was first established at Woden Plaza in 1984 by Kingsley Varr and his wife, co-director Jenny Stead.
Namesake and founder, Kingsley, quietly retired at the end of 2024 without fanfare, selling the much-loved Canberra company to local buyers, who have owned two Kingsley’s stores for the past 20 years.
The new owners have already announced a ninth Kingsley’s store opening in Casey within the next few months and they have put up a sign at Batemans Bay, scouting for a local manager to potentially run a Kingsley’s franchise at Canberra’s favourite holiday destination.
Kingsley and Jenny are reportedly “enjoying a well-deserved retirement”.
The sale of Kingsley’s Chicken took place at the end of 2024, just after the company celebrated its 40th anniversary. The new owners and the previous owners wished to keep the news a bit quiet for a while.
Ironically, when Kingsley Varr first 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.
If you’re wondering how Kingsley’s came up with that famous slogan, it’s thanks to Canberra 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 hot chips, 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.
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