A US fast food chain, fans say serves the “best burgers in the UK” is set to open 30 more branches this year.
Chicken chain Popeyes has revealed rapid expansion plans to almost double in size this year, in a move which will create around 2,000 jobs.
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The brand, best known for its fried chicken sandwiches, said it will open more than 30 new sites across the UK in the next 12 months, including locations such as Birmingham, Aberdeen and Swansea.
Popeyes, which has more than 4,000 restaurants globally, expanded from the US into the UK in late 2021.
The quick-service restaurant chain has since grown to include 38 locations, including five drive-thru sites, and employs 2,300 workers.
The company will open new sites in Ilford and Hammersmith in London this week.
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The fast food chain services chicken dishes in mild and spicy flavours.
It offers sides such as red beans and rice, Cajun fries, mashed potatoes with Cajun-style gravy, Cajun rice, macaroni & cheese, biscuits, and coleslaw.
Tom Byng, chief development officer at Popeyes, said: “We opened our first store in November 2021, to huge hype and acclaim, and customer appetite shows no sign of slowing down.
“To date, we’ve opened 38 locations up and down the country and converted legions of fried chicken fans to Popeyes.
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“We’re excited to be giving even more people their first taste of New Orleans as we double our estate in 2024.
“We’re particularly proud of our geographical spread of expansion, including our first ever travel hub restaurant in Waterloo station, which will be fuelling hungry travellers with great food and a dose of the famous New Orleans spirit.”
It comes two weeks after TDR Capital, the private equity firm which part-owns Asda, increased its shareholding to take effective control of Popeyes UK.
Locations for its new restaurants and delivery kitchens also include:
- Bishop Auckland
- Exeter
- Bury New Road, Greater Manchester
- Glasgow Sauchiehall
- Aberdeen, Union Street
- Nottingham
- Swansea
- Birmingham
- Waterloo station, London
Delivery kitchens only deliver menu items directly to the homes of those within a given area.
Popeyes first opened in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1972 and has 350 branches in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The company has 3,400 restaurants in 25 countries.
Popeyes isn’t the only American chain to begin opening in the UK in recent years.
Wendy’s, the third largest burger chain in the world after McDonald’s and Burger King, returned to the UK in 2021.
Wendy’s closed its last British restaurant in 1999 but returned when it opened a new branch in Reading.
The brand is famous for its square burgers.
Fried chicken chain Chick-fil-A has also confirmed its plans to open new branches nationwide.
The retailer will open its first store in early 2025 and up to five in the following two years.
The fast food chain was founded in College Park, Georgia 1946.
Its original name was the Dwarf Grill, which was eventually renamed Chick-fil-A in 1967.
The fast-food chain operates more than 2,605 restaurants, primarily in the US.
They also have locations in Puerto Rico and Canada.
Chick-fil-A also offers catering services for parties and events within the US.
But the fast food industry isn’t filled with good news.
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Earlier this month, The Sun revealed that pizza chain Papa Johns could close up to 100 branches across the UK.
KFC is also shutting one of its branches in Glasgow within days.
