South Korean fried chicken chain NeNe Chicken has plans to expand its store network faster following its successful debut.

The company says more than 600 customers were present on the inaugural day of its Auckland CBD store with the new chain selling almost a tonne of chicken within its first three days of operation.

Marcus Teh, GM of NeNe Chicken, said the company “met” its revenue target for the week within the first three days of opening.

“We were overwhelmed with how excited Kiwis were to try the food and we ended up having to close an hour early on the first two nights of trading as we ran out of chicken, potatoes and even flour,” said Teh.

“In addition to those wanting to purchase franchises, the outlet was popular with retail customers with an average transaction value at $40 – which was surprisingly high.”

The brand initially planned to open 18 stores throughout New Zealand by 2028, however, a surge in interest from potential franchisees means the roll-out will be brought forward two years to 2026.

“We just did not expect it to take off just as quickly as it did so we have now increased all of our orders to suppliers.”

The next new stores scheduled to open will be in the Auckland suburbs of Newmarket and Sylvia Park.

Entrepreneurs who are looking to purchase up to 20 franchises will see the chain open in five more locations.

Nene Chicken operates more than 1100 stores worldwide including the US, the UAE, Australia, Canada, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia.