After years of pleading from British fried chicken lovers, beloved American chain Popeyes is soon to open its first sit-down restaurant in the UK. That’s right, Brits. Very soon, Popeyes’ famously crispy, spicy New Orleans-style fillets might be coming to a permanent location near you.
So where has Popeyes chosen to set up its first proper UK branch? Well, perhaps a bit unexpectedly, it’s chosen… Chelmsford. For those not in the know, Chelmsford is a city in Essex around 30 miles north of London. It’s best known as the birthplace of radio, for having a pretty famous racecourse and as the setting for the orange tans and diamanté glam of reality TV show The Only Way Is Essex.
While it will be the UK’s first sit-down Popeyes, this won’t be the first time that Brits have had the chance to taste the chain’s delish chicken. Last November, Popeyes opened a pop-up stall in in Westfield Stratford shopping centre, east London – and the response was, putting it lightly, a bit crazed. There were hours-long queues, with one guest reportedly saying they’d waited 35 years to taste Popeyes’ renowned marinated mix.
If you don’t live anywhere near Chelmsford, don’t fear. Popeyes has plans to open up hundreds of branches throughout the UK over the next decade. In other words, 12-hour marinated chicken with the brand’s famed ‘shatter crunch’ will almost certainly be coming to a city near you sometime soon.
The new Popeyes in Chelmsford will be located at 67/68 High Street (CM1 1DH), and it’ll have space for 46 seats. The restaurant hasn’t got a definite opening date yet, but you can sign up for updates here.
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