It’s hard to picture Beyoncé sweeping the back of a hand across her greasy chops after gorging herself on fried chicken. But even global pop icons aren’t immune to the lure of US chain Popeyes. The brand has become a pop culture phenomenon across the Atlantic, having catered Queen Bey and Jay-Z’s wedding and delivered to the Kardashians’ private jet.

So, since the Louisiana-style chicken chain entered the UK market five years ago, it’s had much hype to live up to. Enter UK fried chicken maestro Tom Crowley, who brought US brand Slim Chickens to the UK in 2018.

Popeyes UK operates as a separate business to its US counterpart, but its UK debut did not disappoint. The first restaurant opening at Stratford’s Westfield Shopping Centre in November 2021 was “off the charts”, says the Popeyes UK CEO.