Popeyes knows a thing or two about chicken ... but do you know these little-known Popeyes facts?
11 Interesting Popeyes Facts You Probably Never Knew
While Popeyes got its start down south in New Orleans, Louisiana, the ubiquitous orange and red logo can now be found all over the country, beckoning patrons with delicious Cajun flavors and the crispiest fried chicken. But even huge fans might not know the most surprising Popeyes facts about the national chain.
Reader’s Digest rounded up 11 fascinating and fun details about the origin of Popeyes Chicken, as well as quirky facts that you won’t believe are really true. Whether you’re a casual Popeyes diner or the most enthusiastic spicy fried chicken fan, we bet you’ll learn something new.
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1. Its spice mix saved the chain
Originally, Popeyes founder Al Copeland opened a restaurant called Chicken on the Run in 1972, focusing on traditional Southern fried chicken. Business wasn’t taking off, so he shut the doors and gave the restaurant a name change and a new spicy, Cajun-style recipe. Giving his chicken a kick was a success, and Popeyes turned into a franchise within four years.
2. The chain bought the chicken’s spice recipe for $43 million
For 23 years, Popeyes didn’t actually own the recipe to its famous secret recipe mix of spices. Say what now? To make sense of all that, rewind to 1984 when Copeland opened food manufacturing company Diversified Food and Seasonings (DFS). The supplier provided ingredients for his Popeyes chicken chain, but was a separate company.
In 1991, Copeland filed for bankruptcy and lost ownership over Popeyes (save for a few franchises). With Copeland no longer an owner, Popeyes had to pay $3.1 million in licensing fees every year to DFS to use the manufacturer’s recipes until 2014, when it paid $43 million to buy back the recipes.
3. It’s good as gold (literally)
In October 2018, Popeyes opened its 3,000th location. To celebrate the huge milestone, a few franchises offered quite the special: boneless wings coated in champagne, then tossed in 24-karat gold flakes. It is the gold standard for fried Popeyes chicken, after all.
4. Beyoncé has a lifetime supply
In what just might be the ultimate celebrity perk, Beyoncé was honored with a lifetime supply of Popeyes.
“At one point … everywhere I went, people would buy me Popeyes, like the fans, and Popeyes heard, so they gave me a lifetime membership,” the singer told Oprah in 2003. Whenever she pulls out that lifetime-supply card, she’s entitled to as much Popeyes chicken as she wants, though she admitted that she’d been too embarrassed to ever actually use it.
5. The chicken tenders are the healthiest option
Piece for piece, Popeyes chicken tenders are the lowest in calories and fat of all the fried chicken options. Each chicken tender has about 148 calories (though a three- or five- piece meal would, of course, have more), compared to 160 calories in a Bonafide leg or 210 in a wing. Surprisingly, the Bonafide breast is the highest in calories, clocking in at 380. You could always go healthy with the non-breaded Blackened Chicken, but then again, you’re at Popeyes!
6. There have been some pretty creative takes on it
Past offerings that have come and gone—and sometimes returned again—have included Chicken Waffle Tenders (chicken dipped in waffle batter and deep-fried), Wicked Chicken (thin, curly chicken tenders) and Beer Can Chicken (fried chicken that got its taste from a spice blend, not actual beer).
7. There’s one place you can get it all-you-can-eat
Lafayette, Louisiana, residents are lucky: They live near the last remaining Popeyes buffet in the country. Not only can customers sink their teeth into endless fried chicken, but they can pile their plates high with biscuits, mashed potatoes and other favorites. Anyone else drooling?
8. Anthony Bourdain was a fan
That’s right: One of the world’s biggest foodies had a soft spot for good ol’ Popeyes chicken. The late Anthony Bourdain admitted in a May 2018 People interview that when staying in Lafayette, Louisiana (yep, the town with the buffet), he’d eaten at Popeyes three days in a row. He chowed down on fried chicken, but also loved the guilty-pleasure mac and cheese.
9. It has a whole month dedicated to it
September is National Fried Chicken month, but in 2013, Popeyes launched its own spin on the celebration. Every September since then, the chain has promoted Love That Chicken month based on its old jingle, with deals to draw in customers.
10. Its non-breaded chicken was announced via flash mob
When Popeyes announced its “Louisiana Leaux Naked Chicken” in 2011, there was dancing in the street—specifically, a flash mob on New Orleans’ Bourbon Street. (For the uninitiated: Leaux sounds like low, and it was—you guessed it—a healthier option.) The offering is now known as Blackened Chicken.
11. Its chicken sandwich is better than Chick-fil-A’s
To step up their menu even more, Popeyes introduced a new chicken sandwich in 2019. People flocked to the fast-food chain to get their hands on a piece of crispy all-white meat chicken, marinated with Louisiana seasonings, topped with crisp pickles and spicy mayonnaise and served on a buttery toasted brioche bun.
The sandwich was a viral sensation and caused pandemonium, with people lining up for hours and restaurants selling out and even taking it off the menu due to supply issues. And no wonder: Many said it was better than rival Chick-fil-A’s, a very bold claim that had people desperate to try it.
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Sources:
- Brand Eating: “Chicken Waffle Tenders Return to Popeyes”
- Brand Eating: “Popeyes Brings Back Wicked Chicken in a $4 Combo”
- Business Insider: “Inside the World’s Last Popeye’s Buffet, where you can eat all the fried chicken and biscuits you want for less than $10”
- CNN: “Popeyes chicken sandwich is officially sold out – for now”
- Eater: “Popeyes Now Serving Beer Can Chicken Made Without Beer Cans”
- Eater New Orleans: ” Popeyes Is Coating Its Chicken in 24K Gold and Champagne Today”
- People: “Anthony Bourdain Would Rather ‘Die in the Saddle’ Than Ever Retire: Inside His Wild Life on the Road”
- Popeyes: “Chicken Sandwich”
- Popeyes: “Our Story”
- Time: “Popeyes Spent a Crazy Amount to Buy Back Its Own Recipe”
- YouTube: “Beyonce on Oprah (2003) pt. 2”
