The Beginning of the Popeyes® Phenomenon

With locations all around the world, Popeyes^® Louisiana Kitchen is certainly one of the most beloved fast-food franchises. People go nuts for their Cajun-style fried chicken and buttery biscuits!

But how did Popeyes begin? And how did it get its distinct name?

How Popeyes Truly Began

The franchise that would become Popeyes began with Alvin C. Copeland Sr. In 1972, he opened a traditional, Southern fried chicken restaurant in Arabi, a suburb of New Orleans. This restaurant was called “Chicken on the Run.”

Unfortunately for Copeland, the restaurant failed to catch attention. Not to be deterred, he experimented with his chicken recipe, eventually creating a spicier version of his fried chicken more in line with the Cajun cuisine of the region.

He decided his restaurant needed a name change, and this is where the shocking truth comes to light: Popeyes restaurant was not named after the fictional cartoon sailor man.

It’s easy to see why everyone would assume a connection. Popeyes the fried chicken emporium sponsored “Popeye the Sailor” cartoons and had the sailor serve as a pitchman for the restaurant for 35 years (the partnership between the two ended in 2012).

But Copeland actually named his flagship restaurant after a completely different character: Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle, the NYPD detective played by Gene Hackman in the 1971 crime thriller “The French Connection.”

The Chicken That Runs the Globe

So why is Gene Hackman’s Popeye the namesake rather than the more well-known Popeye?

Copeland Sr. loved the character and the movie; according to some sources, he also loved a good car chase, and “The French Connection” features a masterful car chase set-piece.

Under its new name and with its new, spicier recipe in hand, Popeyes saw much greater success. The restaurant introduced its beloved biscuit in 1983 and expanded to its first international location in Toronto, Canada in 1984. The rest is history.

References: The History of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen | The Real Connection: Popeyes Was Named After A Narcotics Detective | ‘Well, blow me down!’ Popeye is out at Popeyes