Popeyes takes on KFC, McDonald’s in China as the US fried chicken brand plans to open 1,700 stores in mainland in next decade

Name: Burger King’s Indian outlets scrap tomatoes from menu as inflation reaches record high
Uploaded: 2023-08-21T00:30:28.000Z
Duration: 1 min 15 s
Description: Burger King’s Indian outlets scrap tomatoes from menu as inflation reaches record high

The move demonstrates the growing desire of global fast food companies to grab a slice of China’s post-pandemic consumer market

Popeyes reopened its first store on Middle Huaihai Road in Shanghai on Saturday, just four months after a major business revamp

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Popeyes reopened its first store on the bustling Middle Huaihai Road in Shanghai on Saturday. Photo: WEIBO

Daniel Renin Shanghai

Published: 8:30am, 21 Aug 2023

The US fried chicken chain Popeyes is making a renewed push in China with plans to open 1,700 outlets across the mainland in the coming decade, as it takes on a clutch of established rivals like KFC and McDonald’s.

The aggressive growth strategy comes after a sister company with a strong mainland team and well-honed store development platform became the exclusive operator of the Louisiana-based restaurant brand.

It also demonstrates the growing desire of global fast food companies to grab a slice of the gigantic Chinese consumer market after the country emerged from its stifling Covid-19 regime earlier this year.

“China remains a very important market for the brand to expand its presence,” Jason Ge, general manager of Popeyes China, told reporters in a media briefing on Wednesday. “We hope to connect people with the same interest in our outlets. We hope our customers will be impressed by our food, decor and music.”

Popeyes reopened its first store on the bustling Middle Huaihai Road in Shanghai on Saturday, just four months after it closed all nine of its outlets in China following a major business revamp. The fast food chain operator first landed in China three years ago, to much fanfare.

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Burger King’s Indian outlets scrap tomatoes from menu as inflation reaches record high

Dozens of customers waited in queues of up to eight hours for a taste of the signature fried chicken at the grand opening of Popeyes’ Shanghai store in May, 2020.