ALGIERS, Algeria — There are no golden arches, no coffee-selling mermaids and no burger-grilling royalty in Algeria's bustling capital. There is now, however, a Chicken Cottage, the only franchise restaurant to see the light of day in a land of abundant oil and gas wealth.
Brightly lit and sparkling clean, the atmosphere of Chicken Cottage — a popular British competitor to the US KFC fried chicken chain — is a stark contrast to most other similarly priced restaurants in the capital.