If there’s one fried chicken in Singapore that stands out, it’s gotta be Popeye’s Louisiana Chicken. I mean ah, it’s got the crunchiest, juiciest, crispiest chicken pieces in the fast-food market here.
Then ah, do you know all about the company or not? Dunno? Here – I list down 10 facts about Popeye’s you simply wanna know.
For sure wan.
It’s NOT Named After the Popeye’s Cartoon
Ha, you thought it was, right? Well, it’s actually named after a character in The French Connection – Popeye Doyle. It’s a 70s detective movie, by the way.
Not a cartoon sailor, ok?
Popeye’s is Available in 26 Countries, and Growing
Imagine, you can get their fried chicken and biscuits in Canada, Hong Kong, Panama, Qatar and even South Korea. Don’t play play ok…
Who’s the Creator?
Well, Popeye’s was started by Al Copeland back in 1972 in Arabi, Louisiana. And he wasn’t a sailor.
Beyonce’s Favourite Fast Food Joint
The Queen Bey loves the biscuits – it’s her favourite. Can we really blame her? This is right before she switched to being vegan, though!
The Founder Was Known as a Spender
And not any regular one – we’re talking playboy lifestyle worthy stuff here. In his heyday, he had four crazily expensive weddings, and even had a Popeye’s helicopter scatter rose petals for one of them! He also had loads of fur coats, as well as lots of Rolls-Royces and powerboats too!
Popeye’s Had to Buy Its Recipe Back
Sometime back, Popeye’s made the news online, when it had to repurchase its signature recipes for a whopping US$43 million. Al Copeland’s family still owned the recipes after Al had given up control of his company in 1992, causing the fast-food chain to pay them US$3.1 million every year.
The Author Anne Rice Doesn’t Like Her Hometown Fried Chicken Brand
Al Copeland and the gothic fiction writer can’t get along despite staying in coming from the same neighbourhood. Some issue between a character in her book, Memnoch the Devil disappearing in his non-Popeye restaurant, and it ballooned up into a defamation suit.
Tsk tsk.
There are More Than 2,500 Restaurants Worldwide
Yes, and apparently it isn’t going to get smaller anytime soon. Only more to come! In Singapore alone, there are 13 outlets.
For comparison’s sake, there are about 36.8K McDonald’s outlets in the world, and 1,700 Texas Chicken outlets in the world.
All About the Name Change
The company has changed its name a couple of times before settling for Popeye’s Louisiana Chicken. This includes the likes of Chicken on the Run, Popeye’s Famous Fried Chicken and Popeye’s Chicken and Biscuits.
I liked the last one the most.
Al Copeland Loved His Christmas Holidays
Ok la, when he was alive, he used to give gifts out about 1,000 needy children every year. Now that’s a nice guy. Unfortunately, he passed away in 2008 due to cancer.
So, now you know. There’s so many things behind this fried chicken company. Here’s another fun fact – did you know that despite it being a completely normal thing to have in Korea, the franchise doesn’t carry red beans and rice in its Korean outlets?
All I can say is this; please stay and never go away, Popeye’s!