| Type | Wholly owned subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Genre | Fast food |
| Founded | Arabi, Louisiana (June 12, 1972) |
| Headquarters | Sandy Springs, Georgia, U.S. |
| Key people | Al Copeland |
| Products | Fried chicken, Cajun foods, biscuits |
| Revenue | $167 Million (2007)[1] |
| Owner(s) | AFC Enterprises |
| Website | popeyes.com |
Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits (sometimes named Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen or Popeyes Chicken & Seafood; often referred to as just Popeyes) is a chain of fried chicken fast food restaurants, owned since 1993 by the Sandy Springs, Georgia-based AFC Enterprises, which was originally America's Favorite Chicken Company. According to a company press release dated June 29, 2007, Popeyes is the second-largest "quick-service chicken restaurant group, measured by number of units",[2] with more than 1,800 restaurants in more than 40 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and over 21 countries worldwide including Turkey, Bahrain, China, Hong Kong, Iraq, Indonesia, Jordan, Kuwait,[3] United Arab Emirates, Japan, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Singapore, Canada, Jamaica, Guyana, Mexico, Trinidad, Honduras, Vietnam, Panama, and Costa Rica. About thirty locations are company-owned, the rest franchised.[4]
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Popeyes Mighty Good Fried Chicken first opened in Arabi, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans in St. Bernard Parish, in 1972 as "Chicken on the Run",[5] owned by Al Copeland. As the company's official history states, they sold "traditional mild fried chicken [but] business was slow, and the chicken team realized they'd have to sell a spicier alternative to their standard chicken recipe if they wanted to impress flavor-seeking New Orleanians.
Copeland started franchising his restaurant in 1976, beginning in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and over the next ten years added approximately five hundred outlets. B.P. Newman of Laredo, Texas, acquired various franchises in Texas and surrounding states. Two hundred additional locations were added during a period of slower expansion. In 1989, Popeyes, then the third-largest chicken chain, merged with Church's Chicken, the second largest,[6] though parent company AFC Enterprises operated the two chains separately. On December 29, 2004, AFC sold Church's to Arcapita, formerly Crescent Capital Investments, retaining Popeyes.
On October 30, 2006, AFC announced that Popeyes planned to introduce a trans fat-free biscuit as well as french fries containing one gram of trans fat by year-end.[7]
Copeland claimed he named the stores after the fictional detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle in the movie The French Connection[8][9] and not the comic character Popeye the Sailor. Copeland would claim facetiously that he was "too poor" to afford an apostrophe.[8] The chain later acquired rights to use Popeye the Sailor for marketing. The company's early brand became deeply tied to the comic character with its sponsorship of the "Popeye & Pals" children's show in New Orleans, and the character appeared on items from packaging to racing boats.
Popeyes serves chicken products in mild and spicy flavors and offers sides such as Cajun fries, mashed potatoes with Cajun-style gravy, and Cajun rice. Most combo meals come with a side order, drink, and a biscuit.
The restaurants have a distinctive red-and-yellow color scheme. The original and other older locations had a black lava rock exterior with a red shingled roof. Most older locations have covered the rock exterior to conform with the current yellow stucco appearance.
TV and radio ads often use New Orleans-style music, along with the trademark Love That Chicken jingle[10] sung by New Orleans funk and R&B musician Dr. John.
In 2009, Popeyes introduced "Annie the Chicken Queen", a feisty, fictitious Popeyes chef who "tells it like it is". The character is meant to be "honest, vibrant, youthful and authentic" according to Dick Lynch, Popeyes Chief Marketing Officer. “Everyone has a relative or a good friend who will give it to them straight, and that’s what Annie is all about,” Lynch said. [11]
Popeyes maintains a "Hall of Fame" of its franchise holders. Among the inductees is Morgan W. Walker, Jr. (1928–2008), originally from Alexandria, Louisiana, who held a franchise in the Washington, D.C., area from 1979-2007. Some international franchises, such as the ones located in Germany, Italy and Japan, are only located on U.S. military installations and are generally not accessible to the local civilian public.
| Year | US | Canada | Outside US & Canada | Company-owned |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 1,324 | 20 | 320 | 95 |
| 2004 | 1,382 | 28 | 347 | 67 |
| 2005 | 1,427 | 28 | 315 | 56 |
| 2006 | 1,459 | 31 | 306 | 50 |
| 2007 | 1,507 | 34 | 276 | 61 |
| 2008 | 1,527 | 39 | 301 | 55 |
| 2009 | 1,539 | 42 | 325 | 37 |
| Source: Entrepreneur.com[12] | ||||
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