Major US food chain opening seven new locations – see the full list

A MAJOR US fast food chain is opening in seven new restaurants within weeks.

Popeyes has released a list of several stores set to open in the coming weeks.

The New Orleans-style chicken shop already has 17 restaurants open across the UK and it has plans to open a further 20 outlets by the end of 2023.

The chain has now revealed the first of seven new locations to open and some will have the fryers on within days.

The first new restaurant open in Cambridge on February 16 followed closely by Reading on February 23.

Popeyes restaurants will then soon spring up in Cardiff, Plymouth, Richmond, Rotherham and Barrhead.

Rotherham will mark the brand’s first foray into drive-thru restaurants in the UK.

The Rotherham drive-thru site was formerly occupied by KFC.

Popeyes is yet to reveal where it'll open the remaining 13 branches.

Tom Crowley, chief executive at Popeyes UK said: "The sustained demand we’re seeing for Popeyes in the UK is incredible.

"It’s still brilliant to see how enthusiastically the UK has welcomed us, and we’re particularly proud to be opening our first drive-thru locations this year."

Popeyes is owned by Restaurant Brands International (RBI) which also owns Burger King. 

Popeyes first opened in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1972 and has 350 branches in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The company has 3,400 restaurants in 25 countries. 

The fast food giant launched in the UK in 2021 when the first store opened in Stratford's Westfield Shopping Centre.

Soon after, Popeyes opened takeaway-only kitchens in various London districts, including Bermondsey, Maida Vale and Whitechapel

The chicken chain then opened a new sit-down restaurant in Chelmsford and a further seven outlets across the UK in 2022.

We've tried what Popeyes has to offer and we think it's better than KFC.

And Popeyes isn’t the only American chain to begin opening in the UK. 

Wendy’s, the third largest burger chain in the world, returned to the UK for the first time since 1999.

The chain returned in 2021 when it opened a branch in Reading. 

The brand is famous for its square burgers.