M'sia creates its own 'Ahmad's Fried Chicken' brand amidst McDonald's boycott, targets 110 outlets by end-2026

When the Israeli-Hamas conflict broke out in October 2023, consumers in Malaysia were quick to demonstrate support for Palestine.

One way they did so was with their wallets.

Foreign brands, such as McDonald's, KFC and Starbucks, came under scrutiny for their links to Israel, and consumers boycotted them in a show of solidarity.

Amidst the hubbub, local brands in Malaysia, such as Ahmad's Fried Chicken, sprouted as alternatives and quietly gained ground.

Ahmad's Fried Chicken

Ahmad's Fried Chicken was started by a husband-and-wife duo, Mohd Taufik Khairuddin and, Lailatul Sarahjana Mohd Ismail, both aged 34.

Its menu appears designed to rival those of well-known international brands, such as McDonald's and KFC.

The centrepiece of Ahmad's burgers is the Big Mad's, which is priced at RM18.50 (S$5.80) for the burger alone and RM25 (S$7.90) if you make it a meal.

Its two-piece fried chicken combo is sold for RM16.85 (S$5.30), while the Mad's porridge costs RM6.50 (S$2).

Creating a Malaysian product

According to its website, Ahmad's now has 42 outlets scattered across the country.

In an interview with Bernama earlier in July 2025, Lailatul explained that they first ran on online bakery business, which declined during the Covid-19 pandemic.

She had previously worked in the banking sector.

The decline prompted a pivot towards fried chicken.

While Taufik worked on market research and branding, Lailatul dove into research and development for three months.

Then, they started a stall in Mydin Senewang, a mall in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.

The good response motivated the couple to open a fast-food restaurant.

"It was in line with our aspiration to create a Malaysian product we can be proud of," the wife told Bernama.

Ahmad's was named after Taufik's nickname, given by his father, and reflected the brand's local identity.

While the boycott did help Ahmad's gain attention, Lailatul told Bernama that it was not their point of departure, saying that its establishment was not reactionary.

Their aim was to have a local alternative that could compete on quality, Bernama reported.

"The boycott issue might have attracted attention, but in the end, it is the quality that determines success," the wife said, as quoted by Bernama.

Inspired after kids wanted McDonald's

A recent Bloomberg report drew a more direct link between Ahmad's founding and the boycotts.

It detailed that Lailatul's foray into the fried chicken business started when her kids asked to go to McDonald's, but she had made the choice to boycott the chain, to show solidarity with the people of Gaza.

So, she made friend chicken at home instead, and that was when she had the epiphany that there might be a market in Malaysia for alternatives.

Since starting their first stall in December 2024 with an initial RM700,000 (S$221,300) investment, Ahmad's has grown into a RM3 million (S$948,000) per month business, Bloomberg reported.

The business working on opening 110 outlets by the end of 2026.

And Ahmad's is not the only emerging Malaysian brand.

The Malaysian coffee brand, Zus Coffee, also found its footing as local consumers soured on Starbucks.

In 2023, Zus Coffee had fewer outlets than Starbucks, according to Bloomberg

Since then, Zus Coffee has become near-ubiquitous, with more than 700 outlets across the country and has expanded into Singapore, Philippines, Brunei and Thailand.

As Zus Coffee became the largest coffee purveyor in Malaysia, the number of Starbucks outlets in the country shrank.

An analyst that Bloomberg spoke to posited that the shift in Malaysian consumer sentiment, driven by support for Palestine, is here to stay, regardless of the prospects of peace in the Middle East.

In one of Ahmad's outlet in Shah Alam, Selangor, one customer told Bloomberg that there's no going back to international brands.

"The locals ones are just as good," he said, adding that Ahmad's has "everything the other restaurants offer, minus the political issues".

Early concerns about boycotts

Early on in the Gaza conflict in 2023, there were concerns that consumer boycotts in Malaysia could lead to local job losses.

Malaysian politicians raised in parliament that many of those employed by international brands are locals, and some of these brands are also owned by local companies.

They expressed concerns that boycotts would ultimately hurt locals more than they would international brands, who might be unfazed by the consumer action as Malaysia was a minute fraction of their market.

However, there were also some who felt that the boycotts could be an opportunity for local brands.

One economist from Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM), Nuradli Ridzwan Shah Mohd Dali, said then that there will always be alternatives to international products for consumers to choose.

Top image via Ahmad's Fried Chicken