Popeyes Ireland Deal: 15–20 Sites via Applegreen Partnership

Popeyes UK and Ireland will open new restaurants across the Republic of Ireland through a partnership with forecourt operator Applegreen. The deal targets 15 to 20 sites, including drive-thru units, over the next five years.

The first locations are expected in 2025. Applegreen runs service stations and travel plazas in Ireland, Britain, and the US. The partnership gives Popeyes access to roadside real estate without building a standalone store network from scratch.

Popeyes UK and Ireland is a master franchisee of the US fried-chicken chain, owned by Restaurant Brands International (NYSE: QSR). The UK arm launched in 2021 and has since opened more than 60 locations. The company claims it is Europe's fastest-growing food-and-beverage business by unit count.

The Republic of Ireland QSR market is smaller than Britain's but densely competitive. McDonald's, Supermac's, and KFC already have strong roadside and high-street positions. The Applegreen tie-up puts Popeyes on commuter routes and motorways, a channel where McDonald's operates through franchisees and where KFC has fewer drive-thru locations.

Popeyes UK and Ireland carries an Alpha Score of 45, with a Mixed label in Consumer Discretionary. The score reflects rapid store growth offset by narrower margins in the UK buildout. The Ireland expansion will test whether the brand can replicate its UK pace without the same density of urban footfall.

A deal of this size – roughly 15 to 20 sites over five years – is small relative to Popeyes global footprint. The structure matters more than the count. The Applegreen partnership reduces upfront real-estate cost and construction risk. Popeyes does not have to lease, fit out, and manage stand-alone units. It slots into existing travel-plaza kitchens or adds a drive-thru kiosk to Applegreen's land. That lowers the break-even per site.

The risk is execution speed. Applegreen operates hundreds of sites, the partnership is selective. The 15-to-20 target suggests Popeyes can only operate from a subset of locations where kitchen space, power, and extraction meet its cooking standards. Fried chicken requires dedicated fryer banks, ventilation, and oil handling that not every forecourt kitchen can support. Popeyes expanded fast in the UK partly by choosing sites built for the format. In Ireland, it will work within an existing footprint.

The company said menu prices and service format will mirror the UK rollout, with a focus on drive-thru and to-go orders. It gave no timeline for first sales or capital spend figures.