Mr Biggs is the oldest fast food chain in Nigeria, opening its doors in 1986. Since then a ton of other fast food chains have sprung up across the country. Some local, some foreign franchises that sensed there was a potential market in Nigeria’s ever-growing population. I decided to rank them from my worst to my best.
Kilimanjaro
I tried to do some digging into how Kilimanjaro came to be so big (they have outlets in twelve states across the country), and I came up with nothing. I know it’s not their food because well I’ve had their food. The biggest problem with Kilimanjaro is that they have nothing going for them. They don’t offer the cheapest prices in town or the best of anything. It’ll be unfair to say their food is awful because it’s not, it’s just terribly unremarkable.
Sweet Sensation
It’s really hard to have an opinion about Sweet Sensation because after so many years in the game they don’t have anything that makes them stand out. Mr Biggs has (or had) its meat pie, Chicken Republic its ice cream. Sweet Sensation? Nothing.
Tantalizers
The only reason I haven’t lumped Tantalizers and Sweet Sensation together is to avoid being disrespectful. Also, Tantalizer’s ‘Tanta roll’ deserved to be placed a notch above anything that comes out of Sweet Sensation.
KFC
KFC entered the market with a lot of buzz. They were one of the first foreign franchises to enter the fast food market in Nigeria. For people who often frequented their outlets in other parts of the world, the KFCs here fell short. For those who didn’t, it was still just alright and actually a little pricey. For me, it was somewhere in the middle. I won’t go to a KFC on my own volition but if I happened to find myself in one I might order a burger. I also think their cone ice-cream could give Chicken Republic’s a run for its money.
Mr Biggs
My favourite thing to do these days is pop into any Mr Bigg’s outlet I come across and check if their meat pie is even a shadow of what it used to be. I’m yet to find an outlet that comes close to delivering the original Mr Bigg’s meat pie. Still, I refuse to place Mr Biggs anywhere below third place in this list because they are the real OGs and they’ll be treated as such.
Tastee Fried Chicken (TFC)
The food at TFC might be Lagos’ best-kept secret. You can’t go wrong with absolutely anything you order. The only bone I have to pick with TFC is that 23 years after its launch they still have only Lagos outlets.
Chicken Republic
No one is more deserving to be at the top of this list than Chicken Republic. Over the years they’ve rebranded as the times and economy shifted in order to stay relevant. And they have, their branches have avoided the fate of being used as just a landmark or bus stop. Their value meal targeted at working-class people on a budget changed the game and though other fast food places have tried to adopt a similar strategy, no one can seem to beat their deals.
