Tom Crowley: putting Popeyes on every UK high street

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.

“We experienced three months of hundreds of people queueing,” he continues, adding that in 25 years in the hospitality industry he’s “never seen a reaction to a brand quite like that before”.

Five years on, there’s little sign of the momentum slowing. In June, Popeyes UK made its debut in Dublin, where the first customer arrived 26 hours before opening. “Customers brought tents, slept overnight and it was raining, so we took them cups of tea,” Crowley says.

Popeyes UK now operates over 120 restaurants, and by the end of 2026 that will have increased to 140. Crowley says his ultimate goal is that no customer will be more than 30 minutes away from a Popeyes, regardless of where they are in the UK. But he admits that such supercharged growth plans bring challenges.

“One of the hard things about going at the speed we are is you’re learning in five years what most restaurant groups probably learn in 20. You’ve got to be nimble as a business to handle that, come away from things quickly if they don’t work and look for new opportunities.”

For now, the speedy strategy is paying off. The business operates stores in multiple formats – from drive-thrus to high street sites and travel hubs – and its latest financial update, for the year to 31 December 2024, shows turnover surged 104.5% to £118.8m.

“We’ve proved the brand works in multiple formats – our restaurant in Waterloo only has four or five seats, but we can still make that work,” Crowley says. “That’s what QSR is all about: bringing the brand to as many people as you can in as many locations as you can.”

technology also plays a “big role” in the brand’s strategy, with 80% of Popeyes orders now digital, whether via kiosks, online or ordering at the table using QR codes. In 2024, it pushed the boundaries even further when, in a UK QSR first, it trialled an AI drive-thru where a voice-activated AI assistant greets guests and takes their order, supported by a digital display.

While initially sceptical, Crowley hails the move as a success. The AI ordering system has now been rolled out to all of Popeyes’ UK drive-thru locations. “AI being what it is, it just gets better and better – the speed, the voice, everything is improving constantly,” he explains. “You go through now, and it’s pretty hard to tell that it’s an AI voice serving you.”

But ultimately, it’s the food that matters most. Popeyes’ brand is built around the bold seasonings and Cajun spices of Louisiana-style fried chicken. Each product is marinated for 12 hours in Cajun seasoning, hand-breaded and lifted in and out of its coating 20 times over before being float fried to create the brand’s famed ‘shatter crunch’ texture.

“It’s actually very complicated to create a super-simple product,” Crowley claims. “But our chicken, when you try it and compare it, stands clear of everyone else.”

The Chicken Sandwich remains the brand’s most popular product. In 2024, it sold the equivalent of one every three seconds in the UK. But Popeyes has also built a reputation for viral NPD and jumping on trends.

“One of the hard things about going at the speed we are is you’re learning in five years what most restaurant groups probably learn in 20”

Source: Popeyes

Bang on trend

It launched its “phenomenally successful” hot honey range in September 2024 and brought it back by popular demand in July the next year. “It’s now one of our bestsellers, and it’s bigger than a trend – it’s a flavour profile that just established itself,” Crowley says.

Another craze doing the rounds in the QSR market is supersized sauces, after the brand’s US rival, Raising Cane’s, stormed social media with its viral Cane’s sauce in a 909ml cup. Popeyes duly brought the trend to the UK for the first time with the launch of its Mega Dip range in December, offering three of its signature dips in 450ml cups. In just one month, Popeyes had sold 115,000 portions, while mukbang-style taste tests – online videos in which viewers watch the host eat – racked up more than 4.6 million views on social media.

While some fads are clearly paying off, “we don’t want to just chase every trend”, Crowley says. “It’s about being honest about who you are and what you’re trying to do. In five years’ time, it’ll be interesting to see which brands have stayed true to who they are.”

There’s likely to be plenty more brands by that time, too. It’s boom time for fried chicken on these shores, evidenced by the plethora of insurgents trying to steal long-time market leader KFC’s crown.

KFC opened its first UK outlet in 1965, but competition has been heating up. In 2018, Texas-founded Wingstop entered the UK market, followed by Dave’s Hot Chicken in December 2024. Raising Cane’s will make its UK debut this December.

Crowley says the competition is “good” because it “keeps you on your toes”. He thinks Popeyes’ value offer will be “critical” as the fried chicken battle unfolds. “It’s challenging for the customer. Inflation is tough and the Iran war has kicked in with fuel prices,” he says. “For Popeyes to be there with a superior product at the right value – we’re seeing that pay off”.

Three months ago, for example, Popeyes brought the cost of its wraps down from £5 to £2.99, which has seen “really big take-up”. It’s also considering its family customer base, with Crowley claiming the brand’s £3.19 Poppy Box kids’ meal is “cheaper than all other QSRs”.

Popeyes is also targeting different meal occasions. It’s currently the only major fried chicken chain to serve a dedicated breakfast menu nationwide. The likes of KFC, Wingstop and Dave’s Hot Chicken are yet to take advantage of the early daypart.

Popeyes offers 20 breakfast items priced from £1.50 to £5 and, in April, the brand extended its serving times to 10.30am to cater to growing demand.

It’s no exaggeration to say the brand has made waves across the UK fried chicken market in just five years. Popeyes is an increasingly regular sight on high streets all over the country, and its estate is growing – quickly. At the same time, its technology is advancing and it continues to strengthen its proposition.

But in such a rapidly changing and highly competitive market, Crowley feels it’s “too early to call” whether Popeyes will ultimately emerge as the UK’s fried chicken chain of choice. Though he is adamant the data, performance to date and customer reactions “show we’ve got something very special”.