Northern Ireland could get a number of new fried chicken restaurants as part of plans by US fried chicken chain Popeyes to open 350 restaurants across the UK.
As reported by The Irish News, Popeyes, which currently operates approximately 3,400 restaurants globally, has said that it is planning to open its first restaurant in the UK by the end of 2021, and that it is aiming to open 350 restaurants across the UK over the next decade.
"An Exciting Market"
The Irish News quotes co-founder of Popeyes UK Elias Diaz Sese as saying, "The UK is such an exciting market and we think the authenticity of our brand and product is something customers [there] want to see.
"We think we will really benefit the communities we move in to.
"It's difficult to say exactly what the scale will be right now, but we are looking to create hundreds of jobs in the restaurants and in the supply chain."
Popeyes will launch in the UK as part of an agreement between Sese, Restaurant Brands International and Ring International Holdings.
"Great Locations"
Sese, who is also a non-executive director of Domino's Pizza UK, said that Popeyes is currently in talks about its first restaurants in the UK, and added, "We can't confirm anything yet but we are most probably looking at opening a flagship site in London.
"There are great locations for opening across the country and we are looking at our options right now.
"We are definitely looking at both busy city centre locations and neighbourhood high streets."
Delivery And Takeaway
Popeyes said that it is planning to use a variety of channels including delivery and takeaway when it launches in the UK.
© 2021 Hospitality Ireland – your source for the latest industry news. Article by Dave Simpson. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.
