Popeyes to open over 30 additional restaurants in the UK

The UK’s fastest growing chicken quick service restaurant, Popeyes, is planning to open over 30 additional stores across the UK.

Last year, New Food’s Grace Galler reported that US fast-food chains were popping up all over the UK, despite some closer-to-home chains struggling amid the cost-of-living crisis.

Fast forward to 2024 and Popeyes has revealed expansion plans to double its UK estate this year.

Setting up shop in the UK in November 2021, the chicken quick service restaurant currently has 36 locations, including five drive-thrus and seven delivery kitchens across the UK.

Locations for the new restaurants include Ilford and Hammersmith, both of which will be opening their doors for consumers in late January. However, it isn’t just the south of the UK that will be able to get a taste of the Louisiana founded chain. In fact, new stores will be opening in Bishop Auckland, Exeter, Bury New Rd, Glasgow Sauchiehall, Aberdeen Union St, Nottingham Teal, Aberdeen, Swansea and Birmingham.

The American restaurants are coming: but who does this benefit?

“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. We’re excited to be giving even more people their first taste of New Orleans as we double our estate in 2024,” Tom Byng, Chief Development Officer at Popeyes.

“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.”

The expansion will reportedly create a further 2,000 new jobs during 2,400, with the company currently employing over 2,300 people in the UK.

Following a successful 2023, Popeyes now employs over 2,300 people in the UK and, through the new openings, aims to generate a further 2,000 new jobs across 2024.