Popeyes Leeds: Fans queue for hours and hours and hours ahead of opening day
A Leeds restaurant opened today with fans queuing for hours to enjoy a taste of Louisiana fried chicken.
Popeyes opened its doors at 11am on Commercial Street in the city centre bringing its signature New Orleans energy and hospitality to the area with a live performance from Mardi Gras style band, The Brass Funkeys.
The launch saw more than 100 fans lining up from as early as 10.50pm the night before opening to get a taste of the chicken sandwich.
Minjun Gwak, a student at the University of Leeds, was the very first customer through the doors.
He said: “Popeyes is the best chicken ever! The Sandwich is world-famous for a reason, so I knew I had to be the first in line!”
Friends Kieran Gibbs and Jack Otobo arrived together at 11.30pm ,just after the second customer Joe Lewis, having meticulously planned for three days to secure their spot in the queue.
“We were trying to work out when to arrive to be the first, but Minjun and Joe beat us to it. Still, this is the best chicken we’ve ever had, and we’ve had a proper laugh!” said Kieran.
Tom Crowley, Popeyes UK chief executive officer, said: “The response to our Leeds opening has been incredible, with fans lining up well in advance to experience our famous Louisiana chicken. With such a warm welcome from the people of Leeds, we’re looking forward to bringing our famous Louisiana flavours to even more key cities around the UK. We’ll be sharing news about upcoming locations very soon, so stay tuned!”
Popeyes Leeds has created 80 new jobs . The 66-seat restaurant spans two floors and includes touch screen self-service kiosks and collection points for orders made online.