· Beloved chicken chain Popeyes is currently embroiled in a lawsuit over the supposed unsafe storage of raw chicken. The internet is scared. 4 days ago · Twelve years later, the Popeyes side-eye meme kid is all grown up — and he turned a viral moment he once hated into real money.

Understanding the Context

Originally, Popeyes founder Al Copeland opened a restaurant called Chicken on the Run in 1972 with a focus on traditional Southern fried chicken. Business wasn’t taking off, so he shut the restaurant’s doors and re-opened with a new name (Popeyes) and a new spicy, Cajun-style recipe. Giving his chicken a kick was a success, and Popeyes turned into ...See full list on rd.comFor 23 years, Popeyes didn’t actually own the recipe to its famous mix of spices—or other recipes. To make sense of all that, rewind back to 1984 when Popeyes founder Al Copeland opened food manufacturing company Diversified Food and Seasonings, which provided ingredients for his Popeyes chicken chain but was its own separate company.

Key Insights

In 1991, Cope...See full list on rd.comIn October 2018, Popeyes opened its 3,000th location. To celebrate the huge milestone, a few franchises offered quite the special: boneless wings coated in champagne, then tossed in 24-karat gold flakes. It is the gold standard for fried Popeyes chicken, after all. Find out which 13 fast-food items employees say you should never order.See full list on rd.comIn what just might be the ultimate celebrity perk, Beyoncé was honored with a lifetime supply of Popeyes. “At one point … everywhere I went, people would buy me Popeyes, like the fans, and Popeyes heard, so they gave me a lifetime membership,” the singer told Oprahin 2003.

Final Thoughts

Whenever she pulls out that card, she’s entitled to as much Popeyes chicken ...See full list on rd.comPiece for piece, Popeyes chicken tenders are the lowest in calories and fat of all the fried chicken options. Each chicken tender has about 148 calories(though a three- or five- piece meal would, of course, have more), compared to 160 calories in a Bonafide leg or 210 in a wing. Surprisingly, the Bonafide breast is the highest in calories, clocking...See full list on rd.comPast offerings that have come and gone—and sometimes returned again—have included Chicken Waffle Tenders (chicken dipped in waffle batter and deep-fried), Wicked Chicken (thin, curly chicken tenders), and Beer Can Chicken (fried chicken that got its taste from a spice blend, not actual beer). When you’re craving chicken, you’ll want to know the sec...See full list on rd.comLafayette, Louisiana, residents are lucky: They live near the last remaining Popeyes buffetin the country. Not only can customers sink their teeth into endless fried chicken, but they can pile their plates high with biscuits, mashed potatoes, and other favorites. Anyone else drooling?See full list on rd.comThat’s right—one of the world’s biggest foodies had a soft spot for good ol’ Popeyes chicken.

The late Anthony Bourdain admitted in a May 2018 People interview that when staying in Lafayette, Louisiana (yes, the town with the buffet), he’d eaten at Popeyes three days in a row. He chowed down on fried chicken, but also the guilty pleasure that he ad...See full list on rd.comSeptember is National Fried Chicken month, but in 2013, Popeyes launched its own spin on the celebration. Every September since then, the chain has promoted Love That Chicken month based on its old jingle, with deals to draw in customers. When it comes to competitors, this is why KFC changed its name from Kentucky Fried Chicken.See full list on rd.comWhen Popeyes announced its “Lousiana Leaux Naked Chicken” in 2011, there was dancing in the street—specifically, a flash mob on New Orleans’ Bourbon Street.