CP 5 Star Fried Chicken, or simply 5 Star is brand that is literally everywhere in Cambodia, although when we say literally everywhere, there are some big notable exceptions.
WTF is CP 5 Star?
When it comes to the big guys of KFC, Burger King, McDonalds and Carl’s Junior if you add them all together they have less than 100 branches – with McDonalds not even having one solitary outlet.
To read about why there is no McDonalds in Cambodia click here.
CP 5 Star on the other hand recent celebrated the opening of their 100th franchise – yes i’m guessing while you might have seen them you probably have net had one right?
CP 5 Star, formerly known as CP Kiosk are just that, small Kiosks that sell fried chicken, fries and sausages of the Khmer variety. These include cheesy ones, ones on a stick and the meatiest of meat balls.
Why is CP 5 Star so popular and where can I find it?
You will find this anywhere that rent is cheap and that KFC are unlikely to ever, ver enter the market. This is affordable franchising your average Khmer entrepreneur, or as their corporate bah blah states “The business can be set up with low capital and can yield high end profits”.
And they are not lying about low capital with the stated rules being the franchisee must not be older than 45, must be Cambodian and must be prepared to invest at least $1000. As franchises go this is pretty damned cheap and frankly why you will find it even in the deepest darkest parts of the Cambodian countryside.
And the CP 5 Star business model seems to be working with the 100 stores spread around 24 of the 26 provinces of Cambodia. For context KFC is in 2.
I did not learn much from my time at Khmer Times, but I did at least learn one thing and that was that while there are relatively few foreign franchises in Cambodia, there are in fact a whole heap of indigenous low priced ones within the Kingdom.
You can read my epic piece of journalism here
CP 5 Star Chicken vs KFC
OK, so this is a bit unfair as KFC is KFC, BUT to be fair the Colonel in Cambodia is not all that great, nor is he to be found when you need him the most and that is on some dirt road in Cambodia.
For this CP 5 Star is the only trusted player you can rely on in your darkest hour when nothing else but fried chicken or sausages will do. And as for the chicken? Coca-Cola is Coca-Cola, but Ize do a fine job as a local alternative! CP 5 Star Fried chicken are in the same boat, they are not KFC, but the chicken is always decent, even if the coating lacks the finesse of the colonel.
The cheesy sausage on the other hand does truly take some beating.