Popeyes

Popeyes UK is set to open a further 15 outlets this year, including launching in Northern Ireland for the first time.

The quick service chicken specialist has just hit the 50 restaurant milestone with its latest opening on Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow.

Among the pipeline of new restaurants, Popeyes is planning to open sites in Wimbledon, Luton, Manchester’s Oxford Road and Belfast.

“We remain committed to our expansion plans and look forward to achieving new milestones in the upcoming years,” said Popeyes UK CEO Tom Crowley.

“In just 30 months, our remarkable Popeyes UK team has secured a pipeline of 50 top-tier new sites, including our first ever Northern Irish location, which opens in Belfast very soon.

“Currently, Popeyes UK is the fastest-growing chicken QSR brand in the UK, with a 125% year-on-year growth from May 2023 to May 2024. The sustained demand for Popeyes in the UK is incredible, but not unexpected.

“We’ve seen overnight queues for almost every opening since our UK launch in 2021, with fried chicken fans turning up to queue over 24 hours before the opening of new Popeyes restaurants.”

Earlier this month, Popeyes opened its first drive-thru manned exclusively by AI, giving customers the option to use the digital assistant to take their order.