NOIDA, India — The Popeyes® brand and Jubilant Foodworks Limited have announced new plans to develop and open hundreds of Popeyes 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 flavors,” said David Shear, president of RBI International, 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 has more than 45 years of history and culinary tradition. Popeyes distinguishes itself with a unique New Orleans style menu featuring the iconic chicken sandwich, spicy chicken, chicken tenders, fried shrimp, and other regional items. Popeyes uses proprietary seasonings and techniques developed by an in-house culinary team of chefs that makes its fried chicken a point of reference for Michelin Chefs and celebrities.
The brand’s passion for its Louisiana heritage and flavorful authentic food has allowed Popeyes to become one of the world’s largest chicken quick service restaurants with over 3,400 restaurants in over 25 countries around the world.
Shyam S. Bhartia, chairman and Hari S. Bhartia, co-chairman of Jubilant Foodworks Limited said, “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 neighboring countries. Chicken is one of the largest and fastest growing categories in India and is expected to grow rapidly in 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.”
This announcement reflects the global appeal of Popeyes and contributes to the aggressive brand expansion plan globally, the company added. Popeyes will enter the United Kingdom in the coming years and build its presence in Mexico starting in 2021, with plans to open several hundreds of restaurants across both countries. Other successful international expansions over the past years include Spain, Switzerland, China, Brazil, Sri Lanka and the Philippines.
