The UK’s fastest-growing chicken brand, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen UK, has announced its next raft of UK restaurant openings, with in-line sites due to open in Derby, Leicester, Liverpool and Cambridge.
The news comes off the back of the successful launch of its two latest sites, Gateshead and Oxford, which saw the huge queues out the door that guests have come to expect from Popeyes UK restaurant openings.
Its Derby site will open to the public in late October, with launch dates for the remainder of the restaurants expected to be announced soon.
Gateshead opened on 20 August with Oxford following shortly after on 17 September - a record-breaking launch which saw queuers arrive from 5am and over 2,000 Chicken Sandwiches sold in one day. The QSR brand also recently announced its intention to open further sites in Brighton, Nottingham, Ealing and Reading. Nottingham will open on Saturday 1 October.
Its debut outpost in Westfield Stratford City is now the highest-grossing Popeyes® restaurant out of its 3,700-strong global portfolio. With its latest round of opening announcements, the brand will have roots down across the breadth of the country - signalling its rapid growth and high consumer demand.
Elsewhere, the brand has also signed the lease on its first ever HQ - a 6,000 sq ft space in Ealing Broadway which will sit above its Ealing restaurant. The office will act as basecamp for its rapidly expanding team.
Tom Crowley, CEO of Popeyes UK, commented, “We’re experiencing strong sales, significantly above expectations, across all locations at the moment which is building an exciting energy in our business.
“We’re currently finalising our plans for 2023, which will see us ramp up our number of openings again. The planned, sustained period of growth we’ve executed since launch will stand us in great stead for our next round of openings, as well as our first drive-thru sites which we’ll be announcing in due course.”
Popeyes was founded in New Orleans in 1972 and now boasts over 3,700 restaurants globally. The UK represents the 11th new market for Popeyes® across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, where the chain has already opened hundreds of new sites as part of its global expansion.
Popeyes UK launched in November 2021 at Westfield Stratford City and in addition to Gateshead and Oxford, has also opened restaurants in Chelmsford and Romford. In June this year the brand unveiled plans to roll out nationally. Its upcoming 10 sites are expected to generate 1,000 jobs across the construction and hospitality sectors.