Popeyes Exeter is here as diners win free chicken for a year

Four University of Exeter students will not go hungry after sleeping overnight for the chance to land free chicken for a year as Popeyes Exeter opened to huge fanfare in the city.

The American fried chicken chain burst onto the scene at 11am with a brass band welcoming customers. The first 25 customers received a free chicken sandwich, and the first four in line who camped out on Sunday, March 17, were rewarded with a year's supply of free chicken.

"As soon as I got the email update to say Popeyes was opening, I knew I had to be the first person in that queue," said one of the lucky students, who wished to remain anonymous. "The passion comes from the fried chicken being so tasty.

“I've worked for fried chicken places myself, and I know what goes into a good burger, so why not have it free for a year?”

He and his friends described their experience waiting overnight, encountering "every kind of person under the sun". Despite the challenges, they said it was all worth it for the "absolutely banging" chicken.

“We took shifts sleeping and staying awake,” he said. “We weren’t short of entertainment. Two blokes who came and sat with us for about four hours were a lot of fun, although I don’t think they knew what planet they were on.

On getting free chicken for a whole year, he said: “The staff are going to know my name. But also, it's a chance to bless the city's homeless people and others. We're not just in it for ourselves. We all want to give these sandwiches away to people less fortunate than us, people in need, and our friends; that’s what we believe in.”

Neil Williamson, the chief operations officer for Popeyes in the UK, expressed his excitement about bringing the brand to Exeter. "We've been looking for a site in Exeter since we opened in Plymouth last year, and we love the city," he said. "The High Street is the place to be.

“The demand is already on show, so we needed a big building with two floors of seating. We took some time to find that, but we're happy with what we've got. We've built a great-looking restaurant, very vibrant and very colourful, and I think you can see by the queue and the demand already that we've done the right thing and made the right decision.”

Popeyes has recruited more than 80 employees from the local area for the new restaurant. Williamson also highlighted the brand's commitment to offering a unique experience.

"We try to take the band everywhere we go," he said. "The band playing on the street is a point of difference."

He explained that the restaurant chain was founded in New Orleans in 1972 and that ‘anyone who has been there will resonate our restaurant with the fun atmosphere of that city.”

Mr Williamson praised the dedication of the students who waited overnight. "We do it at all our openings," he said, giving away free chicken for a year. "It's fantastic that people will still come. This is our 43rd restaurant, and they're still queuing overnight for our food."

The new Popeyes offers a variety of menu items, including fried chicken in mild and spicy flavours, spicy rice, mac and cheese, and their signature Popeyes biscuit. They also recently launched a breakfast menu featuring a bacon and roll meal for £1.99.

“We’re now looking across the South West,” he said. All of those areas are on our agenda. It's about finding the right place where the public wants us to be. We get hits on our social media every day asking for us to be in specific locations.

“We're looking at Bristol next and have ambitious plans to open 350 restaurants in the next ten years. We will pop up in several towns and cities in the coming months.”