1Chicken on the Run
Popeyes was founded in Arabi, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans in St. Bernard Parish. It first opened its doors on June 12, 1972, as "Chicken on the Run".
2Popeyes Famous Fried Chicken
By 1975, the company had been renamed Popeyes Famous Fried Chicken.
3Chain expanded to Canada
The chain expanded to Canada in 1984.
4500th restaurant
The chain opened its 500th restaurant in 1985.
5Company filed for bankruptcy protection
By 1990, Copeland Enterprises was in default on $391 million in debts it had taken on in its 1989 purchase of Church's "Church's Chicken", and in April 1991, the company filed for bankruptcy protection.
6America's Favorite Chicken Company, Inc.
In October 1992, the court approved a plan by a group of Copeland's creditors that resulted in the creation of America's Favorite Chicken Company, Inc. (AFC) to serve as the new parent company for Popeyes and Church's, another fast-food chain specializing in chicken.
7Popeyes announced a franchise development plan/agreement that included 35 new restaurant
On August 8, 2000, Popeyes announced a franchise development plan/agreement that included 35 new restaurant locations around Australia in a bid to solidify their presence within the Asia Pacific region. All were to be located in the capital city of NSW, Sydney.
8An initial public offering (IPO) of $142,818,479
AFC went public in 2001 with an initial public offering (IPO) of $142,818,479.
9AFC sold Church's to Arcapita
On December 29, 2004, "America's Favorite Chicken Company, Inc." sold Church's to Arcapita (formerly Crescent Capital Investments) retaining Popeyes.
10"AFC" announced that Popeyes planned to introduce a trans-fat-free biscuit as well as french fries
On October 30, 2006, America's Favorite Chicken Company, Inc. "AFC" announced that Popeyes planned to introduce a trans fat-free biscuit as well as french fries containing one gram of trans fat by year-end.
11"AFC" announced the mutual termination of their licensing contract with King Features Syndicate
In late November 2006, "America's Favorite Chicken Company, Inc." "AFC" announced the mutual termination of their licensing contract with King Features Syndicate, effectively ending their association with the Popeye characters.
12Popeyes would release a Fried Turducken sandwich
On November 18, 2011, America's Favorite Chicken Company, Inc. "AFC" announced that, for the Thanksgiving holiday, Popeyes would release a Fried Turducken sandwich that would show off the first-ever Turducken patty.
13"AFC" began offering a special entree of fried chicken strips dipped in waffle batter
On July 29, 2013, America's Favorite Chicken Company, Inc. "AFC" began offering a special entree of fried chicken strips dipped in waffle batter, which was already a proven success in some markets.
14Re-acquired full 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, which remained under the control of Al Copeland and his estate after the creditor sale of Popeyes to AFC.
15US$1.8 billion deal
On February 21, 2017, Restaurant Brands International announced a deal to buy Popeyes for US$1.8 billion.
16Deal closed with RBI purchasing Popeyes
On March 27, 2017, the deal closed with Restaurant Brands International "RBI" purchasing Popeyes at $79 per share via Orange, Inc, an indirect subsidiary of RBI.
17Popeyes offered "Sweet and Crunchy" chicken
For a limited time only in 2017, Popeyes offered "Sweet and Crunchy" chicken, fried chicken tenders coated in shortbread cookie breading.
18Popeyes has 3,102 restaurants worldwide
As of 2018, Popeyes has 3,102 restaurants worldwide.
19Marketing Campaign
The marketing campaign, designed by advertising agency GSD&M started on August 12, 2019, with a tweet on Popeyes' Twitter feed. The new sandwich went viral immediately and prompted responses from nearly every fast-food chain including McDonald's, Chick-Fil-A, and Wendy's.
20Popeyes began selling a chicken sandwich
Popeyes began selling a chicken sandwich in August 2019 to compete with Chick-fil-A's similar sandwich. The company first launched the sandwich at Long Beach restaurant Sweet Dixie Kitchen, a locally famous spot that had become known for reselling fried chicken that it had purchased at Popeyes.
21Popeyes announced that the chicken sandwich would return to locations across the US
On October 25, 2019, Popeyes announced that the chicken sandwich would return to locations across the US on November 3.
22Popeyes opened the first store in China
Popeyes opened the first store in China on May 15, 2020.
23Popeyes' chicken sandwich went on sale in Canada
In September 2020, Popeyes' chicken sandwich went on sale in Canada.
24Popeyes announced that it will be closing all locations in South Korea
In December 2020, Popeyes announced that it will be closing all locations in South Korea, due to poor sales partially attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic.
25Stores in Mexico
In March 2021, it announced plans to open stores in Mexico.
26Flounder sandwich
In 2021, Popeye’s introduced a flounder sandwich.