Popeyes fried chicken chain to open new stores across the UK

The fried chicken chain is on track to open 20 new sites in total in 2023

Popeyes is opening seven new restaurants across the UK (Getty Images)

Fried chicken chain Popeyes is opening seven new restaurants including its first ever drive-thru site in the UK.

The first new restaurant will open in Cambridge on February 16, followed by Reading on February 23 and Cardiff in late March.

The dates for the openings of its other new restaurants in Plymouth, Richmond and Barrhead have not yet been confirmed.

Popeyes nuggets (Popeyes)

The new drive-thru will be located in Rotherham and will replace a KFC restaurant.

Popeyes is on track to open 20 new sites in total in 2023 and already has 17 restaurants and delivery kitchens in the UK including in Westfield shopping centre in Stratford which opened in November 2021.

The US chain is owned by Restaurant Brands International, which also owns Burger King. It first opened in first opened in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1972.

The fried chicken chain is embarking on a plan to expand into the UK, which it sees as its “next big opportunity”.

Tom Crowley, CEO at Popeyes UK, said: “The sustained demand we’re seeing for Popeyes in the UK is incredible, but not unexpected – Popeyes is a cult brand with a huge following in the US and has supplied food for everything from celebrity weddings to the Met Gala.

“That said, it’s still brilliant to see how enthusiastically the UK has welcomed us, and we’re particularly proud to be opening our first drive-thru locations this year.

“Now that we’ve established a growing presence here, we’re excited to start turning our attention towards building an industry-leading employee value proposition for our UK teams and identifying where we can make a difference in the communities we’re part of.

“That’s always been the Popeyes way.”

The chain, which has has 350 branches in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, is famous for its chicken sandwiches and its secret recipe including marinating chicken for 12 hours in locally-inspired seasonings.

In October 2019, Popeyes announced the nationwide return of its beloved spicy chicken sandwich, after it sold out of the popular menu item in August that year.