A new bird has landed! Popeyes opened its first restaurant in Budapest

The famous American fast-food chain Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen has opened its very first restaurant in Hungary — and did so with quite a show.

During the grand opening on the rooftop terrace of Budapest’s Westend shopping centre, the first batch of chicken sandwiches arrived by helicopter, while a live jazz band entertained the crowd below. With this spectacular launch, Popeyes has officially entered the Hungarian fast-food market — and many say the “war of chickens” have just begun.

Flying high after a slow start in the 70’s

Founded in Louisiana in 1972, Popeyes is one of the United States’ best-known fast-food chains, inspired by the flavours of the southern Cajun cuisine. The brand’s founder, Alvin C. “Al” Copeland, originally opened his restaurant under the name Chicken on the Run, but it only found success after he rebranded it and introduced a new concept based on the spicy, deep-fried chicken that later made the chain famous.

Today, Popeyes operates more than 4,700 restaurants across 35 countries and belongs to the Restaurant Brands International group — the same company that owns Burger King and Tim Hortons.

The Budapest opening marks another step in the brand’s fast-paced European expansion, following recent debuts in Spain, France, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Romania, Poland and the Czech Republic. In Hungary, the chain is exclusively developed and operated by Fusion-BP Restaurants Kft., a subsidiary of The Fusion Group Zrt.