Popeyes accelerates UK roll out with new openings

Popeyes is continuing its UK expansion after confirming that Cambridge, Croydon and Reading will be the next opening locations in early 2023.

It also has sites due to launch in Rotherham, Cardiff and Glasgow early next year. This follows the “runaway success” of its Oxford restaurant. Its Nottingham opening in October saw “similar success levels”, breaking the records that Oxford previously set.

Popeyes UK is expected to open 20 restaurants in 2023, bringing the total number of UK restaurants to 31 by the end of next year. 

In addition, the brand is due to open a duo of new delivery kitchens thanks to ongoing demand on its existing kitchens in Maida Vale, Bermondsey, Whitechapel and Battersea. The two new kitchens will open in Brent Cross and Dulwich later this month.

Since launching in November 2021, Popeyes UK has opened seven restaurants across the country and four delivery kitchens in Greater London

Tom Crowley, CEO at Popeyes UK, said: “There is a pattern emerging now at all our openings with people queuing through the night to be the first in line on opening day. It’s fantastic to see how well we are being received right across the UK.

“As well as the new high street restaurants and delivery kitchens, we’re also very excited to announce that in 2023, we’ll be opening a raft of drive-thru locations, with the first likely to be in Rotherham at Parkgate Shopping Park. Consumer demand has been high for a drive-thru ever since we landed in the UK, so it feels like a real milestone for us.” 

He added: “We’ve carefully planned our site acquisition strategy in line with where we’re seeing most demand from our customers, and it’s great to see it coming to life. We’re working at pace currently on opening our Liverpool, Brighton and Leicester branches before the end of the year – but we always have one eye on the future and are looking forward to continuing sharing our expansion plans.”