Popeyes facts for kids
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Trade name
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Popeyes |
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Formerly
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Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits Popeyes Famous Fried Chicken & Biscuits |
| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Genre | Fast food |
| Founded | June 12, 1972 (as Chicken on the Run) Arabi, Louisiana, United States |
| Founder | Al Copeland |
| Headquarters |
Miami, Florida
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United States
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Number of locations
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 3,705 (2021) |
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Area served
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List
United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, Canada, Cayman Islands, Mexico, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Cyprus, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, India, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Palestine, Indonesia, New Zealand, Philippines, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, United Kingdom, Brazil, France, Kazakhstan, Poland, Czech Republic
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Key people
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| Products | |
| Revenue |
US$ 579 million (2021) US$ 5.51 billion (system-wide sales) |
| US$ 228 million (2021) |
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Number of employees
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2,130 (December 2015) |
| Parent | Restaurant Brands International (2017–present) |
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. is a popular American fast food chain. It is famous for its fried chicken and Cajun cuisine-inspired dishes. The company started in 1972 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Today, its main office is in Miami, Florida.
Popeyes is part of a bigger company called Restaurant Brands International. This company also owns other well-known fast food chains. As of 2021, Popeyes had 3,705 restaurants. You can find Popeyes in many places around the world. These include over 46 states in the US, Puerto Rico, and 30 other countries. Most Popeyes restaurants are run by independent owners, called franchises. Only a small number are owned directly by the company.
Contents
The Story of Popeyes
Popeyes first opened its doors on June 12, 1972. It was in a town called Arabi, Louisiana, near New Orleans. The first name of the restaurant was "Chicken on the Run." The owner, Al Copeland, wanted to compete with KFC. But his first restaurant did not do well.
Just four days later, Copeland reopened it with a new name: "Popeyes Mighty Good Chicken." By 1975, it was called "Popeyes Famous Fried Chicken." Copeland started letting other people open Popeyes restaurants in 1976. This is called franchising. The first franchised Popeyes opened in Louisiana.
Popeyes grew quickly. It expanded to Canada in 1984. By 1985, there were 500 Popeyes restaurants.
In the early 1990s, the company faced financial challenges. A new company, America's Favorite Chicken Company, Inc. (AFC), was created. AFC became the parent company for Popeyes. In 2001, AFC became a public company. This meant people could buy shares of the company. In 2004, AFC decided to focus only on Popeyes.
In 2014, AFC changed its name to Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. Also in 2014, Popeyes bought back the rights to its special seasonings and recipes. These had been owned by another company. This deal cost $43 million. It meant Popeyes now fully owned its unique flavors.
Popeyes Joins Restaurant Brands International
On February 21, 2017, a big company called Restaurant Brands International (RBI) announced a plan. RBI wanted to buy Popeyes for about $1.8 billion. This deal was completed on March 27, 2017. Since then, Popeyes has been a part of RBI.
How Popeyes Got Its Name
Al Copeland said he named Popeyes after a movie character. This was Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle, a detective in the 1971 film The French Connection. This movie came out a year before Popeyes started.
However, many people thought the name came from the cartoon character Popeye the Sailor. Early on, Popeyes even sponsored a children's TV show called Popeye & Pals. The cartoon character also appeared on Popeyes packaging. For 35 years, Popeyes used Popeye the Sailor in its marketing. In 2012, Popeyes stopped using the cartoon character.
You might notice that "Popeyes" does not have an apostrophe. Other chains like McDonald's use one. Copeland joked that he was "too poor" to afford an apostrophe.
What Popeyes Serves
Popeyes offers chicken in both mild and spicy flavors. They also have many popular side dishes. These include red beans and rice, Cajun fries, mashed potatoes with Cajun-style gravy, and macaroni and cheese. Other sides are coleslaw and biscuits.
Besides chicken, Popeyes also serves seafood. You can find shrimp and catfish on their menu. Over the years, Popeyes has added new items. In 2011, they offered a special Fried Turducken sandwich for Thanksgiving. In 2013, they introduced fried chicken strips dipped in waffle batter. In 2017, they had "Sweet and Crunchy" chicken. In 2021, a flounder fish sandwich was added.
The Famous Chicken Sandwich
In August 2019, Popeyes launched a new chicken sandwich. It was designed to compete with other popular chicken sandwiches. The sandwich first appeared at a restaurant in Long Beach, California. This spot was known for reselling Popeyes chicken.
The sandwich was released nationwide on August 12, 2019. Popeyes promoted it with a tweet. The new sandwich quickly became very popular. It caused a "Chicken Sandwich War" among fast food chains. Many other restaurants, like McDonald's and Wendy's, responded.
Popeyes saw a huge increase in customers after the launch. The sandwich helped Popeyes get a lot of free advertising. Stores often sold out of the sandwich very quickly. Some locations had long lines.
On August 27, 2019, Popeyes announced it had sold out across the country. The sandwich returned to stores on November 3, 2019. Popeyes chicken sandwich has buttermilk-battered white meat. It comes on a brioche bun with pickles and mayonnaise or spicy Cajun spread. In September 2020, the sandwich also became available in Canada.
Popeyes Style and Marketing
Popeyes restaurants often have orange and white colors. Older locations used to have black lava rock on the outside. Now, most have the orange stucco look.
In the past, Popeyes used characters from the Popeye comic strip in its ads. TV and radio ads often feature New Orleans-style music. They also use the catchy "Love That Chicken" jingle. This jingle was sung by musician Dr. John.
In 2009, Popeyes introduced a character named "Annie the Chicken Queen." She is a fictional Popeyes chef played by actress Deidrie Henry. Annie is meant to be an honest and lively character.
Popeyes has also sponsored NASCAR race car drivers. They have supported drivers like Rich Bickle and Brennan Poole. Their slogan "Love that chicken from Popeyes" is well-known.
Popeyes Around the World
Some Popeyes restaurants are located on US military bases. These are usually not open to the public.
Popeyes first came to the Philippines in 2001. It left in 2007 but returned in 2019. The first store in China opened on May 15, 2020. In March 2021, Popeyes announced plans to open stores in Mexico and the United Kingdom. The first UK restaurant opened in November 2021.
Popeyes also expanded to India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan. The first Popeyes in South Asia opened in Sri Lanka in February 2021.
In December 2020, Popeyes closed its locations in South Korea. But in January 2022, they made a new agreement to reopen there. The first new South Korean store opened in January 2023.
Popeyes was in Indonesia from 2000 to 2011. It returned to Indonesia in December 2022. In 2024, Popeyes announced plans to open stores in New Zealand and Taiwan.
The first Popeyes in Germany that is open to the public is planned for spring 2026. It will be at the Düsseldorf Airport.
| Year | United States | Canada | Outside of the U.S. and Canada | Company-owned |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 1,324 | 20 | 320 | 95 |
| 2004 | 1,382 | 28 | 347 | 67 |
| 2005 | 1,427 | 28 | 315 | 56 |
| 2006 | 1,459 | 31 | 306 | 50 |
| 2007 | 1,507 | 34 | 276 | 61 |
| 2008 | 1,527 | 39 | 301 | 55 |
| 2009 | 1,539 | 42 | 325 | 37 |
| 2010 | 1,533 | 42 | 333 | 37 |
| 2022 | 1,545 | 42 | 344 | 50 |
| Source: Entrepreneur.com | ||||
Caring for Animals
In January 2023, Popeyes' parent company, Restaurant Brands International, made a promise. They committed to using 100% cage-free eggs by the year 2030. This means that all eggs used in their restaurants will come from hens that are not kept in cages.
See also
In Spanish: Popeyes para niños
- List of fast-food chicken restaurants
