Hartz Chicken
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Fast food |
| Founded | 1972 |
| Founder | W. Lawrence Hartzog Sr. |
| Headquarters | Houston metropolitan area , United States |
Area served | United States (primarily Texas), Malaysia, formerly Indonesia and China |
| Products | Fried chicken |
| Parent | Hartz Chicken Inc. (since 1986) |
Hartz Chicken—also referred to as Hartz Chicken Buffet and Hartz Krispy Chicken 'N' Rolls—is a U.S.-based fast food franchise that focuses on fried chicken. The brand operates more than 60 outlets, mainly situated in Texas around the Houston metropolitan area, with additional locations in Malaysia and one in Shreveport, LA.
History
The chain was established in 1972 by W. Lawrence Hartzog Sr., a contemporary of Colonel Sanders from KFC, under the corporate entity Hartzog Inc. Initially, he launched 45 establishments, including 13 directly owned and 32 franchised units, spread across Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia.
Prior to this, Hartzog opened the original Hart's Fried Chicken in Mobile, AL, back in 1964. After divesting his KFC outlets and associated ventures to KFC’s parent company in 1972, his brother-in-law Wayne Johnson took over the Mobile location due to competition with KFC franchises. Since then, the Johnson family has overseen this division, maintaining five Mobile-area restaurants and forming one of the region’s longest-standing family-operated restaurant enterprises.
In 1986, ownership of the chain transferred to Hartz Chicken Inc., a subsidiary of AJP Enterprises.
The company extended its footprint internationally through Hartz Chicken Buffet outlets in Malaysia. However, efforts to penetrate markets in Jakarta, Indonesia and Shanghai, China during the late 1990s were eventually discontinued.
Between 1986 and 1994, George N. Samaras held the CEO position at Hartz Chicken International Co., which ceased operations in 1994. Following this, Hartz Restaurant International Inc., together with Gemini Investors Inc., created Wingstop Holdings, Inc. in 2003 and acquired the Wingstop brand. Wingstop was later sold to Roark Capital Group in 2010. The Indonesian branches of Hartz had closed prior to 2009.
In 2018, Hartz Franchise Restaurants, Ltd engaged AVVA Agency as their official creative partner to strengthen brand visibility and marketing efforts. AVVA crafted fresh campaigns across in-store, digital, and print platforms highlighting revamped menu selections.