How Expensive Are Popeyes Chickens? (Menu, Price, Opening/ Closing Time)

By: Tahlil / Read more about us.

Suppose you are a foodie person who loves chicken items mostly. In that scenario, it becomes mandatory for you to pay a visit to the nearest Popeyes restaurant.

Whether you like chicken nuggets or spicy chicken sandwiches, each of these items is available in combo packs for $8 to $11. Moreover, the signature chicken box item with 8Pc starts from $15. And don’t forget to try the banana cream cake as the dessert item with zero calories for $4.

Their branches are available in more than 5,000 locations in the USA and outside the USA. Inside the USA, most stores open at 10 a.m. But the closing time may differ a bit.

You must continue reading to know the rest of the details.

AI Copeland is the pioneer of Popeyes.

It has already been 50 years since Popeyes, one of the most famous fried chicken restaurants, started its journey. On June 12, 1972, a young entrepreneur, Alvin Charles Copeland, came up with this idea.

The founder is mostly known as Al Copeland, and he was only 28 years old when he started making Popeyes chicken. Meanwhile, he died on March 23, 2008.

Its first restaurant was founded in Arabi, Louisiana which is a suburb of New Orleans. However, it was named the “Chicken on the run..

At that time, its main competitor was “Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC)” and the then “Chicken on the run” had a big challenge to compete with it. But the result was zero, and they failed to stand tall then.

After the failure within a few months, Copeland left the idea of serving southern-style fried Chicken and made up his mind to get the business started from the beginning with New Orleans-style chicken.

In 1975, he came up with a new beginning and named it “Popeyes Famous Fried chicken.” He was pretty confident then and started the first franchise restaurant just one year later in 1976.

Popeyes at a glance

Founded	On June 12, 1972
Founder	Alvin Charles Copeland
First restaurant	In Arabi, New Orleans, Louisiana
Headquarters	In Miami, Florida, the USA
Parent company	Restaurant Brands International
First name	Chicken on the run
Number of locations	More than 5,200

More interesting facts about Popeyes –

The first franchise restaurant	In Louisiana (1976)
Introduction of buttermilk biscuits	In 1983
First global branch	In Toronto, Canada (1984)
500th branch	In Landover, Maryland (1985)
Branch in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	In 1991
AFC becomes  the parent company	In 1992
Surpasses the 1 billion USD sales mark	In 1999
Setup of 2,000th branch	In Memphis, Tennessee (2011)
RBI became the parent company	In 2017

Expansion of the food chain

Meanwhile, the restaurant has franchises in more than 1,900 locations inside the USA and outside the USA that includes Canada as well. The headquarters is in Miami, Florida, United States of America.

According to the most recent survey, it has –

• More than 1,540 franchises in the USA
• More than 40 franchises in Canada
• More than 340 franchises in other countries
• 50 company-owned franchises available. 

The expansion of the food chain was rapid then as it opened the first ever branch in Canada in 1984. At present, it has branches in 30 countries all over the world including Canada, the UK, Mexico, the UAE, Hong Kong, etc.

Is Popeyes owned by McDonald’s?

The simplest answer to the question is no because Restaurant Brands International or RBI is the parent company here. But they weren’t from the beginning.

In 1991, Church’s Chicken was a rival fast-food chain company for Popeyes as both of these companies were focusing on fried Chicken.

However, both these food chains got together in October 1992, as America’s Favorite Chicken Company or AFC became their parent company. And the bankruptcy issue was one of the major issues for Popeyes then.

AFC got started its journey by saving Popeyes from bankruptcy problems as they issued a bankruptcy protection file in the court in the early phase of that year.

Meanwhile, it’s good to know that AFC sold Church’s to Arcapita 13 years later on December 29, 2004, and retained the partnership with Popeyes.

In 2017, Restaurant Brands International became its parent company. Except for Popeyes, some other popular food chains like Tim Hortons and Burger King are subsidiaries of RBI.   

Enjoy the combo meals with small sweet tea and Cajun fries

The price of a chicken combo meal here starts from as low as $8 which includes regular fries, sweet tea, and biscuits. However, the 12Pc nuggets combo pack is the most expensive one on the list and costs more than $11.

Let’s go through the menu first –

Items	Price	Total Calories
A classic chicken sandwich combo	$8.69	1,122 cal
A spicy chicken sandwich combo	$8.69	1,123 cal
2pc classic signature chicken combo – Dark	$8.25	1,070 cal
3pc classic signature chicken combo – White	$9.49	1,430 cal
4pc classic signature chicken combo – Classic	$11.19	1,660 cal
8pc nuggets combo	$9.46	1,011 cal
12pc nuggets combo	$11.57	1,202 cal
3pc tenders combo – Mild	$8.89	1,089 cal
5pc tenders combo – Mild	$11.19	1,395 cal
¼ lb popcorn shrimp combo	$9.42	1,020 cal
Surf and turf combo – Mild	$9.17	1,146 cal

Chicken sandwich combo –

• Classic chicken sandwich combo includes one classic chicken sandwich (699.2 kcal).
• The spicy chicken sandwich combo includes one spicy chicken sandwich (700.2 kcal).

Note: Both these items come with regular Cajun fries (268 kcal) and one small sweet tea (155.7 kcal).

Classic signature chicken combo –

• 2pc classic chicken combo includes one piece thigh classic (280 kcal) and one piece leg classic (160 kcal).
• The 3pc classic chicken combo includes One piece breast classic (380 kcal) and One piece wing classic (210 kcal).
• The 4pc classic chicken combo includes all these four chicken pieces.

Note: All these combo items include regular Cajun fries (268 kcal), biscuits (207 kcal), and one small sweet tea (155.7 kcal).

Nuggets combo –

• 8pc nuggets combo includes eight pieces of nuggets (426 kcal).  
• 12pc nuggets combo includes twelve pieces of nuggets (572 kcal).

Note: Both these combo nugget items include regular Cajun fries (268 kcal), biscuits (207 kcal), and one small sweet tea (155.7 kcal).

Tenders combo –

• 3pc tenders combo includes three pieces of classic tenders (459 kcal).
• 5pc tenders combo includes five pieces of tenders (765 kcal).

Note: Both these combo nugget items include regular Cajun fries (268 kcal), biscuits (207 kcal), and one small sweet tea (155.7 kcal).

Seafood Combo –

• The popcorn shrimp combo includes ¼ pounds of popcorn shrimp (390 kcal).
• The surf and turf combo includes four pieces of butterfly shrimps (210 kcal) and two pieces of mild tenders (306 kcal).

Note: Both these combo nugget items include regular Cajun fries (268 kcal), biscuits (207 kcal), and one small sweet tea (155.7 kcal).

What are the signature chicken items available here?

One needs to pay $41 for a 16pc family meal pack that includes classic chicken pieces. The least you can spend here is on an 8pc chicken box, which will still cost you up to $16.

Let’s check out the menu for signature chicken items –

Items	Price	Total Calories
8pc signature chicken box classic	$15.79	2,060 cal
10pc mild signature chicken box	$17.59	2,430 cal
10pc classic chicken bundle	$28. 49	7,054 cal
12pc chicken family meal – Classic	$32.05	$7,921 cal
16pc chicken family meal – Classic	$41.07	11,160 cal
16pc signature chicken box – Classic	$28.40	4,120 cal
24pc classic signature chicken box	$37.29	6,180 cal

8pc chicken box –

It comes with 2 pieces of leg classics (320 kcal), 2 pieces of wing classics (420 kcal), 2 pieces of breast classics (760 kcal), and 2 pieces of thigh classics (560 kcal).

10pc classic chicken bundle –

It includes 10 classic chicken pieces that have leg, wing, breast, and thigh classics. Also, there’re five biscuits and two large sides included.

12pc chicken family meal –

The family package has 12 signature chicken pieces including leg, wing, breast, and thigh pieces. Moreover, 6 biscuits and two large sides are available in the meal.

16pc chicken family meal –

The meal bundle comes with 16 signature chicken pieces, 8 biscuits, and three large sides.

Get a tender meal box for your family.

A tender meal box for a family with 16 pieces inside can cost up to $38. However, there’s an affordable option with 10 pieces of tenders that costs no less than $18.

You can order any meal from the following chart –

Items	Price	Total Calories
8pc tenders family meal – Mild	$22.60	3,846 cal
10pc mild tenders box – Mild	$18.87	1,530 cal
10pc mild  tenders bundle	$27.20	6,154 cal
12pc tenders family meal – Mild	$29.49	6,667 cal
16pc tenders family meal – Mild	$38.19	9,488 cal

8pc tenders family meal includes –

• 8 pieces of handcrafted marinated chicken tenders (1,224 kcal)
• Large Cajun fries (1,795 kcal)
• Biscuits (207 kcal).

10pc mild tenders bundle includes –

• 10 pieces of chicken tenders
• Two large sides
• Five biscuits.

12pc tenders family meal includes –

• 12 pieces of handcrafted marinated chicken tenders
• Two large sides
• Six biscuits.

16pc tenders family meal includes –

• 16 handcrafted marinated chicken tender pieces
• Three large sides
• Eight biscuits.

You can also try out the family feast meals

Let’s go through the menu first –

Items	Price	Total Calories
Big family feast – Mild	$18.99	7,281 cal
Bigger family feast – Mild	$58.99	12,391 cal

The big family feast comes with –

• 8 signature chicken pieces including leg, thigh, breast, and wing classics
• 3 chicken sandwiches including classic and spicy
• 1 large side
• 3 biscuits
• 3 cinnamon apple pies (236 kcal each).

The bigger family feast comes with –

• 12 signature chicken pieces including leg, thigh, breast, and wing classics
• 5 chicken sandwiches including classic and spicy
• 2 large sides
• 5 biscuits
• 5 cinnamon apple pies (236 kcal each).

Popeyes added Nuggets A la Carte to the menu.

Here, you will get both adult nuggets packs and kids’ meals. A la Carte nuggets can charge you as low as $13, whereas the kids’ meals are not more expensive than 7 bucks.

The following chart shows the added nuggets items and their price –

Items	Price	Total Calories
24pc nuggets A la Carte	$13.45	1,144 cal
36pc nuggets A la Carte	$19.09	1,716 cal
48pc nuggets A la Carte	$25.02	2,288 cal

24pc/ 36pc/ 48pc nuggets A la Carte –

It’s basically the mild juicy chicken breast part with white meat that is hand battered and breaded in buttermilk coating.

However, the meal is served with 4, 6, and 8 sauces respectively.

What about the kids’ meal?

Go through the following chart quickly –

Items	Price	Total Calories
4pc nuggets kids meal	$5.45	149 cal
6pc nuggets kids meal	$6.38	149 cal
Mac & cheese kids meal	$4.47	494 cal

4pc/ 6pc nuggets kids’ meal includes –

• Four or six pieces of nuggets
• GoGo SqueeZ Apple sauce
• Minute Maid Apple juice.

Mac & cheese kids’ meal includes –

• Regular Homestyle Mac & Cheese (345 kcal)
• GoGo SqueeZ Apple sauce (69.6 kcal)
• Minute Maid Apple juice (80 kcal).

How can you miss out on the amazing seafood?

The following chart can provide a clear idea about the availability and cost of seafood here.

Items	Price	Total Calories
Hushpuppy shrimp combo	$8.49	630 cal
Hushpuppy shrimp surf and turf tender combo – Classic	$10.49	936 cal
Hushpuppy shrimp surf and turf sandwich combo – Classic	$10.49	1,122 cal

The Hushpuppy shrimp combo includes –

• 8 pieces of hushpuppy shrimp
• Regular Cajun fries (268 kcal)
• Small sweet tea (155.7 kcal)
• Biscuits (207 kcal)

Hushpuppy shrimp surf & turf tender combo includes –

• 4 pieces of hushpuppy shrimp
• 2 pieces of mild tenders (306 kcal) and fries, tea, and biscuits.

The Hushpuppy shrimp surf & turf sandwich combo includes –

• 4 pieces of hushpuppy shrimp
• Classic chicken sandwich (500.7 kcal)
• One cocktail sauce and fries and small sweet tea.

What are the signature side items available here?

Cajun fries are one of the most common signature side items you have ever got in a combo food item. However, it costs less than $3.

It’s very important to know available side items in case you want to order one/ two with your main food.

Items	Price	Total Calories
Regular Cajun rice	$3.44	183 cal
Regular Cajun fries	$2.79	268 cal
Regular Homestyle Mac & cheese	$3.39	345 cal
Regular mashed potatoes with Cajun gravy	$2.75	110 cal
Regular red beans and rice	$2.79	247 cal
Regular coleslaw	$2.79	184 cal
A la Carte biscuit	$0.79	207 cal

• Cajun rice is a tender, shiny type of rice that comes with a mixture of hearty Cajun meat and makes the classic Cajun dish.
• Cajun fries are very much identical to French fries, but it’s basically fried Cajun.
• The combination of real butter and cream is topped with shredded cheddar cheese to bake in the oven. However, it provides a golden brown crust while baking.
• Red beans and rice is a combination of smooth red beans and seasoned rice.
• A la Carte is a flaky and hearty buttermilk biscuit.

Your meal is incomplete without any dessert item.

Except for the cinnamon apple pie, each dessert item costs more than 3 bucks. On the other hand, the apple pie is available only for $1.69.

They offer three different dessert items to let you fulfill your meal.

Items	Price	Total Calories
Banana cream cake	$3.99	0 cal
Cinnamon apple pie	$1.69	236 cal
3pc chocolate beignets	$2.99	709 cal
6pc chocolate beignets	$4.99	N/A
12pc chocolate beignets	$7.99	N/A

• The banana cream cake is basically a vanilla-cupped cake, which has whipped banana cream and vanilla wafer pieces on top of it.  
• Cinnamon apple pie is something where the hot cinnamon apple is overlapped by a warm, crispy, and crusty layer.
• Chocolate beignet is a warm and New Orleans-style pastry that has milk chocolate filling with a covering of powdered sugar.

What about the beverages?

The following chart will tell you the long story of beverages in short.

Items	Price	Total Calories
Chilled premium lemonade	$3.19	N/A
Chilled mango lemonade	$2.99	350 cal
Chilled strawberry lemonade	$3.19	134 cal
Medium coca-cola	$3.79	390 cal
Cane sweet iced tea medium	$3.79	226 cal
Medium sprite	$3.79	380 cal
Medium Dr. Pepper	$3.79	380 cal
Medium Fanta strawberry	$3.79	380 cal
Medium diet coke	$3.79	0 cal
Medium Hawaiian punch	$3.79	450 cal
Medium Unsweetened iced tea	$3.79	0 cal
Medium Fanta orange	$3.79	420 cal
Bottled water	$2.59	0 cal

What’s the story behind its name?

One of the most confusing factors regarding its name is which Popeye character, the owner actually portrayed in the name.

• Jimmy ‘Popeye’ Doyle in the movie “The French Connection (1971)”
• “Popeye the sailor”, is a comic character.

If you look back at that time, the comic character had a deep influence on the company as the food item packages were full of this particular sailor images.

In that sense, most of us will mistake thinking that the company name is kept after the name of this comic character. But the reality is something else.

According to Al Copeland, the name is inspired by the character Jimmy Popeye Doyle in the Film “The French Connection”, which came just a year before the food chain began its journey.

Copeland was so inspired by that character that he decided to use it as the trademark name of the restaurant.

Meanwhile, it wasn’t known as Popeyes from the beginning; rather went through some evolutions from time to time.

Name	Year
Chicken on the Run	In 1972
Popeyes mighty good chicken	In 1972
Popeyes famous fried chicken	In 1975
Popeyes: Love that Chicken	In 1980
Popeyes fried chicken and biscuits	N/A
Popeyes famous fried chicken and biscuits	N/A

As of now, it’s known as Popeyes is the trademark name, and you can’t ignore the fact that it’s one of the best food chains in the world right now that produces fried chickens.

When does Popeyes open? (Opening and closing time)

On average, most Popeyes branches open at 10 a.m. in the morning and close at 11 p.m. And the good thing is that these opening and closing times don’t change during particular holidays.

The branches remain closed during two holidays the entire year.

• Easter Sunday
• Christmas day

Except for these two days, the stores open and close at the regular schedule. These public holidays include –

• New year’s day
• Mother’s day
• Father’s day
• Thanksgiving day
• New year’s eve
• Christmas eve
• Independence day
• Labor day
• Columbus day
• Cyber Monday etc.

However, what else you need to know is that some stores may have different schedules for opening and closing.

For example, one branch in California opens at 10.30 a.m., whereas one in Colorado opens at 9.30 a.m., which is 30 minutes earlier than the regular schedule.

Meanwhile, there’s quite a bit of variety noticeable in the closing times in different branches.

For example, one branch in Alabama closes at either 6 p.m. or 8 p.m., which is noticeably earlier than the regular closing time.

Moreover, 10 p.m. and 10.30 p.m. closing times are also quite common scenarios. But a few branches also close at 12 a.m. at night all seven days a week.

Popeyes restaurant near me

The following examples can clarify any of your confusion regarding the opening and closing times of different Popeyes branches.

Location	Opening & closing time (Dine-in)
830 country road 64, Elmira, NY, 14903	10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
1703 Florence Blvd, Florence, AL, 35630	10 a.m. to 6/ 8 p.m.
3004 Blackstone Avenue, Fresno, CA, 93703	10.30 a.m. to 10.30 p.m.
1000 Ne 163rd St, Miami, FL, 33162	10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
8610 Dallas Acworth, Hwy, Dallas, GA, 30132	10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
10087 East Washington St, Indianapolis, IN, 46229	10.30 a.m. to 10/ 11 p.m.
10613 Burbank Dr, Baton Rouge, LA, 70810	10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
11097 E Colfax Ave, Aurora, CO, 80010	9.30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
1311 Merritt Blvd, Baltimore, MD, 21222	10 a.m. to 12 a.m.
1501 Atlantic Ave, Atlantic City, NJ, 08401	10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
111 W William Cannon Dr. Austin, TX, 78745	10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
1100 W Girard Ave, Philadelphia, PA, 19123	10.30 a.m. to 10.30 p.m.
6230-t Rolling Road, Springfield, VA, 22152	10.30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

What makes Popeyes chicken so delicious?

You may not find any better replacement for Popeyes chicken in terms of taste and crispiness. Moreover, they provide fresh foods to the customers to let them experience the most delicious flavor.

So, what really makes their Chicken so much delicious to food lovers?

• They fry their chickens in palm oil.
• Before frying the Chicken is dipped into egg and flour batter.
• They use a fresh bun for a chicken sandwich.
• Fried chickens come with a proper salty mixture.
• The Chicken is marinated for 12 hours before cooking.

These are basically a few reasons that make their chicken items more delicious to the consumers.

How healthy are these chickens?

In 2015, regarding health issues, the then CEO of Popeyes, Cheryl Bachelder admitted that their target consumers aren’t who are health conscious. Moreover, they emphasize making the food tasty, not healthy while cooking.

The logic behind this statement was that people try eating healthy food whenever they are at home. But when they are outside, the demand for crispy and tasty foods from Popeyes goes at its peak.

Therefore, it’s quite easy to say that the chicken items are not healthy.

Customers’ reviews

We waited outside many Popeyes branches and tried talking to the customers to get a real-life opinion about the chicken items.

• Jonathan Wright said, “I think, I’ll order one of these chicken items at least once a week in my home if I can’t come here”.
• Mrs. Lawrence told us, “I am trying their chicken items regularly for the last 10 years and I was never ever disappointed”.
• Ian was delighted saying, “They have a great history of making fried chickens and they are doing this thing till now in the same way”.
• Morgan told us, “Once I thought they are only experts at making chicken items. But that was before I tried their banana cream cake and cinnamon apple pie in the dessert. And the first one is quite healthy as it has zero calories”.
• Maddie said, “I can’t resist visiting this particular store whenever I pass through this street. That’s how much I love Popeyes and its foods”.