History of Popeyes in Timeline

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen is a multinational fried chicken restaurant chain established in 1972 in New Orleans. Now headquartered in Miami and a subsidiary of Restaurant Brands International, it boasts over 3,705 locations across 46 US states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and 30 countries globally, as of 2021. The vast majority, approximately 98%, of Popeyes restaurants are franchised, while around 50 are company-owned.

1944: Al Copeland's birth

In 1944, Al Copeland, the founder of Popeyes was born. He later passed away in 2008.

1971: The French Connection Film

In 1971, the film "The French Connection" featuring the character Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle was released. Alvin C. Copeland claimed this character, rather than Popeye the Sailor, inspired the name of the restaurant.

1972: Popeyes Founded

In 1972, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. was founded in New Orleans, Louisiana as an American multinational chain of fried chicken restaurants.

1972: Restaurant Opening

On June 12, 1972, Al Copeland opened "Chicken on the Run" in Arabi, Louisiana, later renaming it Popeyes Mighty Good Chicken. Al Copeland wanted to compete with Kentucky Fried Chicken, but his restaurant failed after several months.

1975: Company Rename

In 1975, Popeyes Mighty Good Chicken was renamed Popeyes Famous Fried Chicken.

1976: Franchising Begins

In 1976, Al Copeland began franchising Popeyes restaurant, starting in Louisiana.

1984: Canadian Expansion

In 1984, Popeyes expanded into Canada.

1985: 500th Restaurant Opening

In 1985, Popeyes opened its 500th restaurant.

1989: Purchase of Church's

In 1989, Copeland Enterprises purchased Church's, a rival fast food chain, for $391 million, leading to financial difficulties.

1990: Copeland Enterprises in Default

In 1990, Copeland Enterprises defaulted on $391 million in debts from its 1989 purchase of Church's.

April 1991: Bankruptcy Filing

In April 1991, Copeland Enterprises filed for bankruptcy protection.

October 1992: America's Favorite Chicken Company Creation

In October 1992, a court approved a plan by Copeland's creditors, leading to the creation of America's Favorite Chicken Company, Inc. (AFC) as the new parent company for Popeyes and Church's.

August 8, 2000: Expansion into Australia

On August 8, 2000, Popeyes announced a franchise development plan to open 35 new restaurant locations around Australia, specifically in Sydney, to solidify its presence in the Asia Pacific region.

2000: NASCAR Sponsorship Begins

In 2000, Popeyes began sponsoring various NASCAR drivers, including Rich Bickle in the Busch Series.

2000: First store in Indonesia opened

In 2000, Popeyes opened its first store in Indonesia under PT Popeyes Chicken Seafood Indonesia.

2001: AFC Public Offering

In 2001, AFC went public with an initial public offering (IPO) of $142,818,479 and began trading on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol AFCE.

2001: Arrival in the Philippines

In 2001, Popeyes arrived in the Philippines.

2002: Taken over by PT Popindo Selera Prima

In 2002, PT Popeyes Chicken Seafood Indonesia was taken over by PT Popindo Selera Prima.

December 29, 2004: Sale of Church's

On December 29, 2004, AFC sold Church's to Arcapita, retaining Popeyes.

October 30, 2006: Trans Fat Reduction

On October 30, 2006, AFC announced that Popeyes planned to introduce a trans fat-free biscuit and french fries containing one gram of trans fat by year-end.

2007: Departure from the Philippines

In 2007, Popeyes left the Philippines due to issues with the franchisor.

2008: Al Copeland's death

In 2008, Al Copeland, the founder of Popeyes, passed away. He was born in 1944.

2009: Introduction of "Annie the Chicken Queen"

In 2009, Popeyes introduced "Annie the Chicken Queen", a fictitious Popeyes chef played by actress Deidrie Henry, as part of their marketing.

November 18, 2011: Fried Turducken Sandwich Release

On November 18, 2011, AFC announced that, for the Thanksgiving holiday, Popeyes would release a Fried Turducken sandwich, showcasing the first-ever Turducken patty.

2011: Closure of last store in Indonesia

In 2011, Popeyes closed its last store in Puri Indah Mall, West Jakarta.

November 2012: Licensing Contract Termination

In late November 2012, AFC announced the mutual termination of their licensing contract with King Features Syndicate, effectively ending their association with the Popeye the Sailor characters.

July 29, 2013: Waffle Batter Chicken Strips

On July 29, 2013, AFC began offering a special entree of fried chicken strips dipped in waffle batter.

January 21, 2014: AFC Renamed Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc.

On January 21, 2014, America's Favorite Chicken Company (AFC) was renamed Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc., and its NASDAQ ticker symbol was changed to PLKI.

June 17, 2014: Reacquisition of Seasoning Control

On June 17, 2014, Popeyes announced it had re-acquired full control of its seasonings, recipes, and other proprietary food preparation techniques from Diversified Foods & Seasonings for $43 million.

February 21, 2017: Restaurant Brands International to Buy Popeyes

On February 21, 2017, Restaurant Brands International announced a deal to buy Popeyes for US$1.8 billion.

March 27, 2017: RBI Purchases Popeyes

On March 27, 2017, Restaurant Brands International (RBI) closed the deal to purchase Popeyes at $79 per share via Orange, Inc, an indirect subsidiary of RBI.

2017: "Sweet and Crunchy" Chicken Offering

For a limited time only in 2017, Popeyes offered "Sweet and Crunchy" chicken, which consisted of fried chicken tenders coated in shortbread cookie breading.

March 2018: Tyler Matthews' NASCAR Debut

In March 2018, Tyler Matthews made his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut in the No. 99 Popeyes truck at Martinsville Speedway.

2018: Return to Philippines

In 2018, Popeyes returned to the Philippines with a new deal with Kuya J Group.

May 19, 2019: Philippines Relaunch

On May 19, 2019, Popeyes opened its first branch in Pasig, Philippines, after returning to the country.

August 12, 2019: Nationwide Chicken Sandwich Launch

On August 12, 2019, Popeyes launched its new chicken sandwich nationwide in the US.

August 2019: Chicken Sandwich Launch

In August 2019, Popeyes began selling a chicken sandwich to compete with Chick-fil-A's sandwich.

October 28, 2019: Chicken Sandwich Return Announcement

On October 28, 2019, Popeyes announced that the chicken sandwich would return to locations across the US on November 3.

May 15, 2020: First Store in China

On May 15, 2020, Popeyes opened its first store in China.

September 2020: Canadian Chicken Sandwich Launch

In September 2020, Popeyes' chicken sandwich went on sale in Canada.

December 2020: South Korea Closure

In December 2020, Popeyes announced that it would be closing all locations in South Korea due to poor sales partially attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic.

February 25, 2021: South Asia Expansion

On February 25, 2021, the first Popeyes restaurant in South Asia opened in Bambalapitiya, Sri Lanka.

March 2021: Expansion Plans

In March 2021, Popeyes announced plans to open stores in Mexico and the United Kingdom.

March 24, 2021: Agreement with Jubilant FoodWorks

On March 24, 2021, Restaurant Brands International signed a master franchise and development agreement with Jubilant FoodWorks to operate Popeyes restaurants in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan.

October 2021: Agreement with Sterling Cruise

In October 2021, Popeyes signed an agreement with Romanian company Sterling Cruise to open 90 restaurants in Romania in the next 10 years.

November 20, 2021: First UK Restaurant Opening

On November 20, 2021, Popeyes opened its first restaurant in the United Kingdom, located at Westfield Stratford City.

2021: Flounder Sandwich Introduction

In 2021, Popeyes introduced a flounder sandwich to its menu.

January 2022: Agreement with Shilla International

In January 2022, Popeyes signed an agreement with South Korean Tuna Supplier Shilla International to reopen in South Korea.

April 9, 2022: First Romanian Restaurant Opening

On April 9, 2022, the first Popeyes restaurant opened in Romania.

December 23, 2022: Return to Indonesia

On December 23, 2022, Popeyes returned to Indonesia under PT Sari Chicken Indonesia and opened its first store in Skyline Building, Central Jakarta.

January 2023: Reopening in South Korea

In January 2023, Popeyes reopened in South Korea.

August 2023: Investment from TDR Capital

In August 2023, British private equity firm TDR Capital invested £50 million into Popeyes UK.

2024: Expansion to New Zealand and Taiwan

In 2024, Popeyes announced that it would be opening stores in New Zealand and Taiwan later that year.

2029: DF&S as Main Supplier

Diversified Foods & Seasonings will remain the main supplier for Popeyes until at least 2029.

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