Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen

About Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen

What is Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen and what services does it provide?

Named after Popeye Doyle, a character in the film The French Connection, Al Copeland founded Popeyes in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1972. After a rebrand, the company soon became famous for its New Orleans-style fried chicken.

Menu items include spicy chicken, chicken tenders, a chicken sandwich, friend shrimp and other regional products, plus side dishes such as red beans and rice, Cajun fries, macaroni cheese and coleslaw.

Popeyes opened its first franchised restaurant in Louisiana in 1976 and eight years later launched in Toronto, Canada. In 1991 it opened for business in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and by 2000 Popeyes had a presence in Australia.

In 2008 the brand was renamed Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, while another significant milestone was reached in 2011 when the company opened its 2,000th restaurant in Memphis, Tennessee.

In February 2017 Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen was brought by Restaurant Brands International, which also owns Burger King and Tim Hortons. Across its three brands, RBI has annual system-wide sales of $32 billion and around 26,000 restaurants in over 100 countries. Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen has 3,100-plus quick-service restaurants worldwide.

At the time of writing, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen has no restaurants in the UK, but RBI is interested in speaking to interested parties about launching and developing the brand in this country.

How does the Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen franchise model work?

The company awards franchises on an area development basis. As a result, prospective franchisees must be experienced in running multi-site restaurants, as well as being familiar with retail development in their chosen market.

The style of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen restaurants is in keeping with its New Orleans heritage, although outlets are adapted country to country to maximise appeal to the local customer base. For example, in some countries play facilities are an integral part of restaurants in order to attract families.

What locations or territories is Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen looking to operate in?

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen is looking for international franchise partners globally. The company says markets should have the potential to accommodate at least 50 restaurants.

The minimum net worth requirement is approximately £850,000 per each restaurant franchise, which must be available in liquid cash or alternatives such as stocks, bonds or inventory.

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen has a number of franchisees who have partnered up with other franchisees and are now running successful multi-site businesses.

Restaurants work well in a range of settings, including freestanding locations, shopping malls, airports, and university campuses. The company must approve the site selected to open a restaurant before any building or fit-out work can take place.

Why is Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen a good investment?

Its strong branding, tried and tested systems and distinctive menu means the business stands a good chance of success in the potentially lucrative UK fast food sector, which is currently worth around £15bn, according to market research specialist Statista, and is largely dominated by large international brands.

Investors also have the backing of an experienced franchisor and established support set up, which has the ability to adjust the brand’s offering in order to maximise return on investment.

What training and support do Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen franchisees receive?

All members of a franchisee’s management team must complete the Popeyes management certification programme, which gives individuals a thorough grounding in all aspects of the business and covers topics such as food preparation, equipment, food safety and sanitation, inventory, service, management controls and functions, operations compliance, safety and security. Based in the US, the programme lasts for between four and six weeks.

Did you know?

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen has outlets available across the UK

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Initial and ongoing support is provided both locally by one of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen’s experienced regional leaders and via the company’s global service centre in Atlanta, Georgia.

Assistance is available with launching the business, finding suitable restaurant locations, design and fit-out of restaurants, establishing a reliable supply chain, developing menus, promoting the brand, operations and ongoing training requirements.

A franchisee’s regional leader is the main point of contact when it comes to discussing training, operations and marketing issues, as well as answering any questions about the business and its development.

Franchisees are given access to the Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen password protected web portal, where they can view training videos, contact details and the company’s comprehensive operations manual whenever they need to. Management tools relevant to the business are also available on the site.

Who owns the building in which a Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen restaurant is located?

The franchisee, who is responsible for buying or leasing the premises.

Does Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen help franchisees finance their business?

No. A certain amount of liquid assets are required to join the network and any third party funding required must be arranged and guaranteed by the franchisee.

Why does a Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen franchisee have to pay into the company’s marketing fund?

Franchisees are expected to contribute a certain amount of their income from their business to this fund in order for Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen to maintain and keep up to date its extensive range of marketing materials, which are used by franchisees to promote their businesses.

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen says that franchisees should enlist the services of a local marketeer or appropriate professional agency to work directly with the franchisor to help coordinate the development and execution of all promotional activities.

Where does a Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen franchisee buy the ingredients, supplies and equipment necessary to run their business?

The franchisor supplies every franchisee with a list of authorised suppliers and distributors from which they can purchase all products. This ensures brand continuity across the Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen franchise network.

The company states that it helps its franchisees to source as many products as possible locally, as long as they meet its specifications.

Does Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen provide details of the franchise’s earnings potential?

No specific figures are given to franchisees, as the company says each market it enters and operates in has different costs and sales potential.

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen recommends that all would-be franchisees conduct their own independent research into the company - taking advice from business and financial specialists if necessary - before they invest in the franchise.

How can I get started on setting up my Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen business?

This company’s franchise recruitment and selection process takes between three to four months to complete on average, although this is dependent on a number of factors.

Prospective franchisees must complete a corporate international application form, which will provide Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen with basic information about the parties interested in joining the franchise network.

Once it’s been determined the applicant or applicants meet Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen’s franchisee criteria, a member of the company’s new business development team will make contact and assist with the compiling of more detailed financial and personal information relevant to the application.

Once an application has been accepted, local market research has been carried out, suitable locations have been identified, a supply chain has been put in place and the franchise agreement has been signed, franchisees can have their first restaurant up and running within six months.