US fast food chain dubbed 'better than McDonalds' to open 30 new restaurants, as fans say: 'I'm so obsessed'

A popular American fast food chain that fans call '10/10' and 'better than McDonald's' is to open 30 new restaurants in Britain.

Famous for its delicious Louisiana fried chicken, Popeyes, founded in 1972 in New Orleans, opened its first UK branch in Stratford in 2021.

Since then, more restaurants have popped up across the country in areas such as Oxford, Nottingham and Gateshead, as the brand has expanded nationally.

There are currently 38 locations, which will almost double as a further 30 locations will soon open their doors to UK customers, including restaurants, delivery kitchens and drive-thrus.

The brand announced the move earlier this week on their social media channels, where they wrote: 'Y'all ready for more heat?

'Get ready for more than 30 new openings, including new restaurants in Manchester and Nottingham, our first delivery launch in Birmingham and our next opening in London.'

The company has posted a map showing where some of the locations will be, although not all have been announced yet.

The list of locations includes Glasgow, Birmingham, Swansea and Manchester, with the Birmingham store also promising a delivery kitchen.

Tom Byng, head of development at Popeyes, told Metro: “We're excited to give even more people their first taste of New Orleans as we double our estate by 2024.

“We are extremely proud of our geographic spread of expansion, including our first-ever travel hub restaurant at Waterloo Station, which will provide hungry travelers with great food and a dose of the famous New Orleans atmosphere.”

Customers who have already had the chance to try what the fast food chain has to offer have taken to X, formerly Twitter, to let us know what they thought.

One fan claims: 'Popeyes is actually 10/10 the best fast food I've had in the UK.'

Another said: 'Popeyes fries are better than McDonald's fries.'

There are currently 38 locations, which will almost double as a further 30 locations will soon open their doors to UK customers, including restaurants, delivery kitchens and drive-thrus

Customers who have already had the chance to try what the fast food chain has to offer have taken to X, formerly Twitter, to share what they thought

Meanwhile, a third and fourth added: 'Popeyes is better than McDonald's' and 'that Popeyes was 10/10'

One foodie ranked Popeyes, Wendys and McDonalds against each other, putting Popeyes at number one.

Another Brit announced: 'Need to get back to @PopeyesUK soon'.

Someone else added that they've had Popeye's sweet and sour wings three times in the past week, proving they're “so obsessed.”

Following the announcement, some fans still want more locations and have tweeted the company emphasizing that they want to expand to more areas.

'Come to Wrexham!' one foodie wrote, while another added: 'You've got to beat West Yorkshire!'

The chicken restaurant is the latest US fast food giant to expand its UK base of operations, after Wendy's, Taco Bell and Wingstop all entered the UK market in recent years.

The expansion also comes five years after Popeyes launched its famous chicken sandwich, a menu item that quickly went viral and sold out in stores across America.

There were crafty entrepreneurs selling the sandwiches right outside the store for five times the price after the new dish sold out nationally just over two weeks after its launch.

Three men appeared to try to flog the hugely popular burger for $20 each outside the restaurant, in an undisclosed location – while touting the goods from a folding table.