Popeye's Louisiana Chicken Restaurant Opens First Branch in England

I feel like the regular fried chicken places run by indian families in London are more flavorful than popeyes, I have no idea why they would rather eat popeyes.

Love me some Popeye's but unfortunately in the States, you can only get it at airports (Dallas Terminal D)... unless you want to venture into the hood.

[quote] I've never actually had Popeyes in the US; how different is it from KFC?

Popeyes is based on Cajun/New Orleans flavors, so it's spiced differently than KFC. Popeyes has the best biscuits and mashed potatoes of the fast food chains.

Yeah, I'm not a huge fan of Popeye's; my favorite item on their menu are the popcorn shrimp and biscuits.

[quote]Love me some Popeye's but unfortunately in the States, you can only get it at airports (Dallas Terminal D)... unless you want to venture into the hood.

That's not true. They are popping up all over Manhattan. There's one in Chelsea on 8th Avenue.

There's a Popeye's in my mostly white, upscale, major city small suburban town.

*Suburb

I made Irish soda bread not long ago and realized it is basically a giant American biscuit. That's how Popeye's should explain it to Brits: Our biscuits are like small soda breads.

[quote]Love me some Popeye's but unfortunately in the States, you can only get it at airports (Dallas Terminal D)... unless you want to venture into the hood.

Tell me you're white af, without telling me...

White and rich, r9. I'm a middle class white man who lives three miles from a Popeyes.

There is a Popeye's and a Chick-fil-A within walking distance of my house in a lily white suburb. I've never been to either one.

My upper-middle-class, majority-white "hood" has a Popeyes, too. I like it better than KFC, but prefer the "other" KFC (Korean fried chicken) or Jollibee over either of them.

They USED to have really good food. The key word is used

Bojangles is better

Brits love spice wherever we can get it: Nando's, all different Indian and Bengali style dishes, spicy shawarmas, kebabs, curries all over... Of course Londoners will love Popeyes. (especially when compared to the bland and squidgy KFC)

The only good thing they have is that damn sandwich.

Popeye's is better than KFC in every imaginable way.

R16 Their Red Beans & Rice is superb. You should try some next time.

What about Olive Oyl?

No one ever mentions her anymore.

I second the red beans and rice from Popeyes, it’s my favorite side dish.

And NONE in masks, just like the Remembrance ceremony at the Cenotaph. Not one in the densely packed crowds or among the participants. It looks so dangerous.

I don't want to come off as easily alarmed, but I had my booster on Tuesday at and have no plans to go maskless any time soon. I have nothing to lose

I went to Popeyes twice. I got the sandwich and chicken nuggets. I did get the mild chicken nuggets and they were so bland there was actually no taste at all. The sandwich was horrible too

Who cares, R21? Go bore people with this stuff elsewhere. This thread is about Popeye’s Chicken opening in London and thriving in other locations.

Incidentally, Popeye’s is all over the American southern states, no “hood” required, R9.

Sorry, meant R2, not R9.

R22 Simple solution: don't order MILD. I wouldn't say "nuggets" are their best offering either. The Spicy chicken is where it's at, not the MILD nuggets, or MILD other offerings. I order the original Spicy chicken, and that's what's primarily being compared to other Chicken places here.

It always makes more sense to order what a place is famous for. You remind me of people who judge a place by their chicken or fish items, when it's a burger joint

Their “the perfect” hot sauce is fucking nasty.

R26 I use the Cajun Sparkle seasoning, not the hot sauce.I don't think the chicken needs any really.

When I do desire a hot sauce, Louisiana is not my favourite either.

I think the quality is not uniform. I used to enjoy but the two times I ate at one, it was inedible.

One opened up in my area awhile back so I went on their website to see what foods had onions or garlic in them (I'm allergic to both).

I contacted their e-mail address with my concerns but I never heard back from anyone so I never ordered anything from there.

It has since closed down but since it doesn't care about a potential customer's health concerns, I won't shed a single tear.

Karma.

Church's Chicken is much more likely to be found in "the hood" than Popeye's

R11 Do you live in Scotch Plains/Watchung? LOL

I wonder if it'll be as 'successful' as Chick-fil-A was here?

[quote]Church's Chicken is much more likely to be found in "the hood" than Popeye's

In the 80s and 90s in NYC, you knew you were in a bad neighborhood when you saw a Kennedy’s Fried Chicken.

Plus there's free entertainment.

Unfortunately I can't eat meat, but I did stop by a Popeyes once back in the summer and bought a shrimp plate and a bowl of red beans and rice. The shrimp were okay, for fast food. But the RBAR were delicious. I went back to the drive thru and got the RBAR several times since that day. I can easily make a meal out of that alone.

r29 you poor thing, allergic to onions And garlic, the base of almost everything.

I used to like the dirty rice (which was later renamed "Cajun rice.") But they discontinued it. I'm not a fan of beans, so it was always my go-to side.

I like Popeye's chicken much better than weirdly soggy KFC. I don't eat fried chicken very often anymore in the interest of my health but I'd be happy to eat Popeye's chicken anytime.

I am amused and surprised that British people are confused by the biscuits. I would have thought that they'd at least know US-style biscuits are savory scone-like dinner quickbreads from watching American TV shows and movies.

It's so easy to forget that the US and the UK can be very foreign to one another, but watching the Great British Baking Show has underscored that for me. They call zucchini courgettes, sometimes call layer cakes gateaux, they have all kinds of common baked goods I'd never heard of before, from jaffa cakes to sausage rolls to savory pies made with inedible hot water crust, they seem to use gelatin in everything they make, etc.

When I did a study abroad at Cambridge for a summer 20 years ago, England lived up to its reputation for strangely flavorless food, but it seems I really missed out on baked goods when I was there. And that's interesting to me because my grandmother was the daughter of immigrants from Ireland and she basically served boiled meats and vegetables with almost no seasoning much of the time, which no one looked forward to, but she made so many amazing desserts and she prioritized them over the rest of the meals.

I think the only real difference between an American biscuit and a scone is the amount of butter used in biscuits, and the lack of additives like raisins, etc.

I loved the dirty rice and I can’t believe they discontinued it since it made Popeyes stand out against other fast food chicken joints. French fries and mashed potatoes are a staple at most places.

What a time to open a new chicken restaurant in the UK.

We ordered the deep fried Popeyes Turkey for thanksgiving and it was so good! Fat whores were rejoicing, now walking it off.

[quote]they seem to use gelatin in everything they make

And they use SHEETS of gelatin, which I've never seen or heard of in the US.

Did they allow the franchise to use American chickenstein? It's tragic to see more and more Brit chavs developing gynecomastia and ugly pear-shaped body like American fattards after eating more shithole chickenstein. SAD!

I can't believe Popeye's has been in Spain the past few years before it opened in London...usually it's the other way round. We're still waiting on Shake Shack in Spain...

Gelatin is gross

Popeye's is way too over-seasoned and greasy imo. It's an MSG bomb. But I enjoyed it when they offered the dirty rice and beans as side dishes.

[quote] And NONE in masks, just like the Remembrance ceremony at the Cenotaph. Not one in the densely packed crowds or among the participants.

Do you really think people who are willing to stand in line for hours in order to eat fast food would really concern themselves with wearing a mask?

Haven't they rebranded as Popeye's Louisiana KITCHEN? The one in my town has.

Is it Church's that has the deep fried okra as a side? Do they have that in England?

^ Yes, Church's Chicken offers deep fried okra. I haven't had them in decades. The closest one near me is over an hour away and strangely merged with White Castle.

Given how obsessed and fat Brits are with KFC, this was just a matter of time.

I went to Church’s Chicken once. They actually limited how many condiments I could have. I will never go back.

I love that chicken from Popeyes.

Church's is to Popeyes as Dollar General is to Dollar Tree.

[quote] And they use SHEETS of gelatin, which I've never seen or heard of in the US.

Sheet gelatin is primarily used in restaurants or in the homes of foodies in the US. Most home cooks find it rather frightening, and don't quite know how to use it. I've been using it for years. You can find it in specialty shops and on Amazon.

Bojangles’ has an awesome dirty rice.

I could never live in a place where they Don’t have readily accessible fried chicken and peach cobbler. Ivan barely visit.

I LOVE the spicy tenders (no sauce, thanks...I like them dipped in mashed potatoes & gravy), but I wouldn't line up for them...in OR out of a pandemic.

In a blatant money-grab, Popeye's is pushing "Homestyle" Mac & Cheese for a $2 -$3 (!!!) upcharge with a meal. Don't fall for it, it's watery orange fake cheesy goop. It probably cost them 15 cents in ingredients. Absurd.

Personally, I love fat whores with British Accents.

r53 That makes no sense. Dollar Tree is a single-price store and is nothing like Dollar General.

[quote]Love me some Popeye's but unfortunately in the States, you can only get it at airports (Dallas Terminal D)... unless you want to venture into the hood.

There are definitely Popeye's in suburban non-"hood" locations.

[quote]Personally, I love fat whores with British Accents.

HELLO!!! Call me "They"!

All of you poor, ignorant souls who don’t know and understand the joys of Bojangles.

Superior in every way to Popeye’s. Don’t even bring KFC into the conversation.

The Mexicans in LA call it poh-PAY-ezz.

Beyoncé,s favorite fried chicken.

I wonder whole be taking some to the Queen? I've always heard she has very simple taste.

She might like this. Wonder if she's ever had fast food before?

FDR served her mother hot dogs at the White House during a State visit, R66.

Has HM ever had deep fried okra before? For the future encyclopedia about her.

I NEVER eat out. I prepare ALL of my meals at home- it's plenty of work at times- especially salads.

[quote]FDR served her mother hot dogs at the White House during a State visit, [R66].

Eleanor served the fucking hot dogs! Silly bitch.

^Yup. She was known for keeping shitty cooks at the White House. I read somewhere that it was suspected this was part of her revenge for Frank’s extramarital love life.

Copycat Popeye's dirty rice

Copycat Popeye's red beans and rice

I was about to post a recipe for Popeye's biscuits but Mason Dixie's frozen biscuits are far superior.

Scones are like a dropped biscuits, not the kind of biscuits made with laminated dough.

My family is southern and we always had 'dropped'-type biscuits, except we would roll out the dough and cut biscuit 'pucks' out with a drinking glass. I've never liked layered/laminated biscuits because the ones I've had are usually Pillsbury-type canned ones and they don't feel like 'real' biscuits to me. So the ones my family ate were pretty scone-like, just not quite as dry, smaller and not filled with anything.

For years I had stopped eating fried chicken thanks to KFC....for YEARS!!

My brother would constantly get Popeye's chicken and I would drool at the lovely aromas wafting from the boxes. I was hesitant to try it, because of horrible experiences with the aforementioned KFC. One day, I bit the bullet and ordered a 3-piece combo from Popeye's, and the rest, as they say, is history. That shit is some good eatin'.

[Quote] The Mexicans in LA call it poh-PAY-ezz.

Possibly because there's no apostrophe, despite the many Oh, dear misspellings in this thread.

Hard to believe it took 77 replies to get an "Oh, dear."

I wish Popeyes would serve fried chicken livers again with the spicy coating, like the chicken.

And what about the hearts and gizzards?

[quote]Eleanor served the fucking hot dogs! Silly bitch.

But they didn't make her lose control

[quote]Possibly because there's no apostrophe, despite the many Oh, dear misspellings in this thread.

So you think it's named after a group of people all named Popeye? You know perfectly well they only left out the apostrophe because they knew their illiterate overweight customers wouldn't notice or care. There's nothing wrong with educated people adding it back in.

(And I love their biscuits so don't be telling me I'm a snob.)

From Wikipedia:

Alvin C. Copeland claimed he named the stores after the fictional detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle (portrayed by Gene Hackman) in the 1971 film The French Connection,[16][17] which came out a year before the chain was founded, and not the comic strip character Popeye the Sailor.[18] The company's early brand became deeply tied to the cartoon star with its sponsorship of the Popeye & Pals children's show in New Orleans, and the character appeared on items from packaging to racing boats.[citation needed] The name is spelled "Popeyes", without the apostrophe commonly used by other restaurant chains such as McDonald's and Hardee's. Copeland claimed facetiously that he was "too poor" to afford an apostrophe.[16]

The chain later acquired rights to use Popeye the Sailor for marketing and used this for 35 years.[18] In late November 2006, AFC announced the mutual termination of their licensing contract with King Features Syndicate, effectively ending their association with the Popeye characters.[19]

By that time, Olive Oyl was no longer a virgin.

With a name like Popeyes I’d expect them to serve a lot of spinach.

I’ve tried recreating Popeyes red beans. One trick I have is to take a potato masher and mash the beans a few times during the cooking process so that the beans get silky and and absorb all the flavors of the ham and spices. Popeyes beans are almost like a porridge.

People from England, have your toilets ready...

How exactly does one "ready" their toilet?

R88 By making sure you have access to it.

We're Catholic so we call the chicken chain two words -- Pope & yes = Popeyes

R83, Copeland was a hoot.

That stuff is always full of cayenne or other peppers, which do horrible, painful things to my system even in small amounts, so I don't eat there. It's too bad. Sounds nice.

It's probably different to the American version.

Take-aways are foul wherever you find them.

"n 2017, a new era began at Popeyes. The chain was acquired by mega-company Restaurant Brands International, the owner of Burger King and Tim Horton's, for an estimated $1.8 billion. Since then, the chain has added a huge number of locations and has launched its now-iconic Fried Chicken Sandwich."

So that's why it sucks. All the Popeyes in my city are rated 1-2 stars on yelp.

So many fatties in London!!! 🍗🐖🐖🐖

[quote]Take-aways are foul wherever you find them.

And fowl, in this case.

R38

Real biscuits especially southern style are nothing like scones.

Biscuits are soft, fluffy and often have layers like croissants. They are never hard, except when badly made, and or cold/old. Then they can be used as hockey pucks.

Biscuits in UK traditionally refer to what we call cookies in USA. Think "digestive biscuits"

Biscuits and cheese came next, and here the water-jug was liberally passed round, for it is the nature of biscuits to be dry, and these were biscuits to the core.

"I ain't bovvered" will be heard in every one of these branches.

" they seem to use gelatin in everything they make, etc."

Gelatin is used everywhere nowadays. More so in fast or other foods that make reduced fat claims.

Gelatin gives a mouth fullness feeling somewhat like fats, but obviously isn't so that side steps several issues. OTOH those on gluten free diets or are vegans may want to check foods for gelatin content.

It always amazing hearing Yankees and others get worked up over something most southerners think nothing about. Well besides the stuff is good eating...

Have had dirty rice since can remember, It isn't that difficult to make, though each family or person may have their own particular spin on things. Same for cornbread, grits, fried chicken, gumbo, and rest of good down home food.

Probably where most fall down is they cannot make rice good.

popeyes in the U.S. just added mac and cheese and its unbelievable. had plenty of browned cheese from the top of the cassarole too. reminded me of how gross the KFC mac and cheese (or pretty much anything KFC) is.

R102, see R58.