The fried chicken brand is strengthening its international presence in key Asian markets.
Popeyes has announced a multi-country franchise agreement with Jubilant Foodworks Limited (JFL) to develop and open hundreds of new restaurants across India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan in the coming years.
“We’re excited to introduce our iconic Louisiana-style chicken to a new population in the world that already celebrates and loves bold and delicious flavours,” said David Shear, president of RBI International, the parent company of Popeyes.
“At Popeyes, we believe that the best food takes time. We marinate our chicken for 12 hours in bold Louisiana seasonings, then hand batter and slowly cook it to make it the juiciest and crispiest chicken that I think our guests will ever have.”
Founded in New Orleans in 1972, Popeyes now has over 3,400 restaurants in 25 countries, and has successfully expanded into the likes of Spain, Switzerland, China, Brazil, Sri Lanka and the Philippines in recent years.
“We are happy to announce the signing of a multi-country agreement to acquire the exclusive rights to operate and sub-license the iconic Popeyes brand in India and neighbouring countries,” said Mr. Shyam S. Bhartia, chairman and Mr. Hari S. Bhartia, co-chairman of Jubilant Foodworks Limited.
“Chicken is one of the largest and fastest-growing categories in India and is expected to grow rapidly in the years to come. Popeyes will be an exciting addition to the JFL portfolio and is expected to become one of the key drivers of growth for us in the coming years.”
Other development plans for Popeyes include its first sites in the U.K. in the coming years, as well as in Mexico starting in 2021 – with plans to eventually open several hundred restaurants across both countries.
