Popeyes UK hits 100th restaurant milestone

US fried chicken brand Popeyes UK has reached 100 restaurants, just four years after its UK debut.

 

The QSR chicken chain opened its first UK outpost in London’s Stratford in November 2021 and has since launched 26 more sites across the capital, as well as dozens more in the regions in formats ranging from eat-in to drive-thru.

 

The Stratford store is believed to be the brand’s busiest location globally and the group has sold 3.1 million Chicken Sandwiches across the country so far this year.

 

In April, Popeyes announced a strategic partnership with SSP Group which saw it open its first ever UK airport site at Birmingham Airport. 

 

Popeyes UK is on track to open almost 50 restaurants in 2025, equating to roughly one site opening a week.

 

Its 100th store is located at London Bridge station, taking over a 3,000 sq ft site spread over two floors, scheduled to open on 25 November.

 

Tom Crowley, chief executive officer at Popeyes UK, said: “We’re immensely proud to have reached this milestone – growing to 100 restaurants within four years of entering a new market is a remarkable achievement. Our growth so far is a strong testament to the strength and appeal of the Popeyes brand and our fantastic, authentic fried chicken, which is always cooked fresh and breaded by hand.

 

“We’re now truly one of the most well-established fried chicken QSR brands in the market. We continue to see an amazing customer response at all of our openings, and we will continue to open more Popeyes restaurants up and down the UK in 2026.”

 

Popeyes was first founded in New Orleans in 1972 and now has more than 5,000 restaurants globally.

 

The brand is one of many North American chicken brands expanding rapidly across the UK over the last few years, among them Dave’s Hot Chicken and Wingstop, the UK arm of which was sold in a £400m deal late last year.

 

US fried chicken chain Raising Cane’s has also confirmed plans to open its first UK restaurant in 2026.