[9][11] Chicken Licken's presence in the townships during apartheid helped it to establish a loyal customer base among black South Africans.

Since the apartheid era ended in 1994, the black middle class has moved out of the townships and the company has changed its focus to expanding in higher income areas and upmarket shopping malls.

Outlets in Zimbabwe, Nigeria and Mauritius were closed down due to problems with franchisees and the supply of chickens, electricity and foreign exchange for ingredients.

[9][10] Registered trademarks in South Africa include: Golden Fried Chicken (Pty) Ltd, trading as Chicken Licken, owns the trademark for the word soul in South Africa with respect to "restaurants, snack bars, cafes, fast food outlets, canteens and roadhouses; services connected with the sale and distribution of foodstuffs and refreshments; catering".

[3][21][22] Chicken Licken's food is positioned as a more affordable option than that of its main competitors in South Africa, KFC and Nando's.

[6][9][32] A subsequent retro style advertising campaign featured Dr CL Phunk, a character played by African-American actor Sydney Hall who dispenses Chicken Licken as a cure-all.

[33][34] In 2007 George Sombonos won the inaugural Creative Circle's Marketer of the Year award for advertising agency clients for "25 Yrs of Soul", a nostalgic commercial featuring the 1983 hit song "Burn Out" by local musician Sipho "Hotstix" Mabuse.

[11][12][14] Chicken Licken uses fryers supplied by Henny Penny, an American manufacturer of cooking equipment used by major fast food companies such as KFC and McDonald's.

Targets of lawsuits over the years have included vegan restaurants, independent stores, cafes, food manufacturers, startups, and guest lodges.

Six months after opening, owners Tallulah and Richard Duffin, received a letter of demand from Chicken Licken's attorney Ron Wheeldon alleging infringement of its trademark "soul".

Chicken Licken refused to accept this and filed an urgent adjudication; a week later, the Duffins had to appear in the KwaZulu-Natal High Court.