The chain was established in 1983 in Jakarta as a franchise of the American-based Pioneer Take Out, has an American name and is now entirely Indonesian owned. The chain is supplied by the same group, the Sierad Group, which also supplies chicken to Wendy's and Kentucky Fried Chicken. It is the main brand of PT Pioneerindo Gourmet International Tbk which was listed on the Jakarta Stock Exchange in 1994. The firm also runs Sapo Oriental and Cal Donat outlets in Jakarta, and employs 1,400 people. Studies conducted by the Jakarta Post reveal that it is the fifth most popular fast food chain in Indonesia after Restoran Sederhana, KFC, McDonald's and Pizza Hut. As the westernization of Indonesia took off in the 1990s, California Fried Chicken took advantage of the growth of American-style malls in the country, reaching 90 by 1998. It is now common to see branches of the chain in malls or near supermarkets, often in direct competition with neighboring branches of the global brands of the above-mentioned and Dunkin' Donuts. According to an article in Adweek, California Fried Chicken was founded by three Indonesians who wanted to introduce the taste of Pioneer Chicken to their homeland that they had enjoyed during their stay in California while attending the University of Southern California. The Los Angeles Times mentioned that California Fried Chicken had stores in China during the 1990s. However, these stores do not appear to currently exist. In 2008, the firm opened new outlets in Salatiga and Central Java, marketed in a way which meets local demands by serving traditional Indonesian food staples of fried noodles and rice with chicken.
Logo
The logo and marketing of California Fried Chicken is very similar to that of a carriage. Like the KFC logo, CFC uses red and white with the letters CFC and features a cartoon old westernwhite and blue wagon in a yellow circular background. Its advertising slogan is "Bukan Cuma Ayam" which is featured in the logo, meaning "Not Just Chicken".
Reception
Although the chain has become a major success, it has not been without its criticism as globalization of American culture takes full swing. It has been criticized for "being a KFC clone".
