Fricken opens its biggest Canberra store yet and we’re cluckin’ excited
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What started as a family fried chicken recipe served around the dinner table is about to become Fricken’s biggest and most ambitious venue yet, with the Canberra-born brand set to open a new flagship store at Canberra Centre in early July.
Founded in 2018 by brothers Mo and Marwan Saad, along with their partners Heather and Manal, Fricken began with a single food truck and a mission to share the fried chicken they grew up eating every Sunday.
“For us, fried chicken is a family dinner Sunday thing. Some families sit down to a roast, we did fried chicken,” said co-founder Mo Saad.
“Mum’s cooking and recipe is what we grew up on every weekend. So, in 2018 we started Fricken with one food truck in Canberra, just to share the chicken we loved.”
Eight years later, Fricken has grown into a multi-location business spanning Canberra and the Gold Coast, surviving everything from the challenges of scaling a small business to COVID, natural disasters and ongoing economic pressures.
The move into Canberra Centre marks a significant milestone for the family-run business and represents the next chapter for the homegrown brand.
“Braddon’s been so good to us and a lot of the Fricken story happened there,” said Saad.
“The move into Canberra Centre is about building a flagship store that represents what Fricken should be, so when we do expand, people see where it all started and know that’s the standard.
“Canberra is our home, and we want the flagship here to be the best version of what we do, the one that sets the tone for everything that comes next.”
Located in the heart of the city, the new venue will introduce a refreshed brand identity, expanded menu offerings and several firsts for the business.
The Canberra Centre location will feature Fricken’s first fully electric kitchen, operating entirely on renewable electricity, alongside new equipment designed to improve consistency and allow for greater menu innovation.
Customers can also expect the launch of what Fricken believes is Australia’s first fully gluten-free self-serve frozen yoghurt bar.
“The part we’re most proud of is that everything on the bar is gluten-free, so for once it’s a self-serve setup coeliacs can enjoy without second-guessing, especially the kids who usually have to sit these things out,” said Saad.
The frozen yoghurt offering will feature a custom range of flavours, including a peach-inspired flavour created to reflect the brand’s new look and colours, alongside dairy-free options and a wide range of toppings.
The new venue will also introduce several menu additions, including premium smashed beef burgers, bone-in chicken, poke bowls and customer favourites from the brand’s Gold Coast locations.
For Saad, however, the opening is about more than just a new store.
“After starting out in a food truck, opening somewhere like this in our home city is the moment we’ve been working towards,” he said.
“We’ve built this one to be somewhere you want to hang out, not just grab and go.
“You’ve got the chicken that started it all, a menu with more variety than we’ve ever done, and a space right in the heart of the city that’s just a genuinely cool place to be.
“And for the regulars who’ve been with us since the food truck days, this is the one we’ve been building towards.”
Fricken’s new Canberra Centre flagship store is expected to open in early July.
Photography: Ben Calvert.
