Next year the Popeyes fast food chain will join the big three fast food restaurants in the Czech Republic. It currently operates in 30 countries around the world, mainly in the United States, where it originated. Hospodářské noviny (HN) spoke about it. Franchisee Rex Concepts, which will open several Popeyes-branded restaurants in the country, plans to further expand the already established Burger King brand in the Central and Eastern Europe region.
The Popeyes restaurant chain was founded in 1972 in New Orleans. It focuses on New Orleans-style fast food featuring spicy chicken, chicken thighs, fried shrimp, and other regional items.
Franchisee Rex Concepts CEE is therefore part of the McWin investment holding company, which specializes in the franchise management of fast food restaurants. As mentioned by HNBehind McWin is manager Henry McGovern, who founded and ran AmRest. He brought brands such as Burger King, KFC, Pizza Hut and Starbucks to Central Europe.
“We are excited to strengthen our leading position in Europe with this move, where we see many opportunities for growth,” said McGovern. How he wrote the Canadian Globe and Mail newspaper, McWin already bought BK SEE, which operates Burger King branches in Poland, in the summer and plans to open dozens more.
Last year, the Popeyes brand announced it was expanding into Romania. Together with Sterling Cruise, it has pledged to open 90 restaurants in the country over the next ten years.
The chain’s expansion into Central and Eastern Europe has also been welcomed by Restaurant Brands International (RBI), which owns Burger King and Popeyes. “We are delighted to have reached a historic agreement with McWin and believe their business development expertise will translate into the successful development of our iconic brands in Eastern Europe,” said RBI chairman David Shear.
Last year, McDonald’s restaurants in the Czech Republic earned 6.9 billion crowns, 19% more year-on-year, and beef burgers are traditionally among their best-selling products. The largest fast food chain in the country is KFC with 114 restaurants. The aforementioned Burger King and Pizza Hut also operate in the Czech Republic, as well as the American chain Subway and the Czech chain Bageterie Boulevard.
