Popeyes has officially opened its very first Dundee restaurant, marking a notable step forward for its rapid expansion across Scotland. The new outlet is going to be the ninth opening since they brought the brand to Barrhead in 2023. The Dundee restaurant is going to have 54 seats inside, as well as 16 covers outdoors, and four kerbside bays. This caters to both dine-in guests as well as those who want to pick up their orders. The opening is also creating new jobs, with the chain hiring 81 new people.
The Appeal of Louisiana-Style Fried Chicken
Louisiana-style fried chicken has had universal appeal for quite some time, and there’s certainly been a lot of excitement about it in Dundee. The new launch also shows how popular chicken has become over the years. From spicy Cajun wings to crispy sandwiches and more, social media has served as a vehicle to bring brand launches like this into the spotlight. Interestingly, chicken is also featured in the media quite a lot, often with an absurd, chaotic, or humorous undertone.
Terry Gilliam’s Knight with a Raw Chicken, as seen in Monty Python’s Flying Circus, saw chicken become more than food and cemented it as an icon of playfulness and entertainment. The cult horror movie Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead also pushed things even further by imagining a chicken fast food chain overrun with zombie chickens. iGaming and UK casino game catalogues too showcase our love for chicken, with games like Barnyard Bash: Chicken Chase giving players the chance to collect eggs across reels, with each colour being associated with a particular bonus.
With flying feathers and a chicken coop aesthetic, it’s evident that chicken isn’t just a food source; it’s got a big part to play in our culture. With Popeyes going as far as to adopt a live rooster mascot in 2021 after Hurricane Ida, and with the animal going on to become a local sensation and official corporate mascot, it’s clear that our love for chicken has deep roots. With Popeyes being such a household name in the US, seeing it come to Dundee is about more than just a new menu; it’s about building on cultural moments that will serve the area for years to come.
Dundee Locals are Queueing Overnight for Popeye’s Famous Fried Chicken
The store, which now occupies the Pizza Hut restaurant building, awarded free deluxe sandwiches for a year. This only applied to the first four people who showed up, with the brand using a similar initiative when opening their London store. This sparked a queue the night before the shop was due to open, with 80 people seen outside the doors at the opening time. The Dundee store has experienced remarkable success so far, with locals praising the quality of the food, as well as the fact that it’s bringing people from outside the area to Dundee. With the creation of new jobs and people loving the new dining opportunity, it seems that it won’t be long before Dundee becomes the food hub of Scotland, especially with big brands choosing the location as a prime spot for chain expansion.
