Despite not opening until the weekend, the hype around Popeyes coming to Oxford is already undeniable.
The US fried chicken chain is set to open its fifth UK branch in the city this Saturday (September 17), with bosses predicting queues waiting outside the store the night before.
While it might sound like nonsense for a fast food takeaway to expect this sort of cult following, Popeyes has the evidence to back it up.
READ MORE: Oxford's Popeyes store set to open on Queen Street
Customers have already tried to rip off the vinyl advertisement material covering the windows which hides the inside of the Oxford site, so they can get a cheeky look inside.
When the chain opened its Stratford, Chelmsford, Romford and Gateshead restaurants, chicken lovers travelled from across the UK to – quite literally – pitch up tents and camping chairs so they could get their hands on the food first thing.
The viral hype started back in August 2019 when Popeyes in US tweeted it would sell a new $3.99 sandwich - fried chicken topped with pickles and either mayonnaise or spicy Cajun sauce on a brioche bun - at its 2,400 American locations.
Bloomberg, which dubbed it the chicken sandwich that ‘broke the internet’, reported Popeyes prepared its franchises to sell around 60 sandwiches a day, however they sold closer to 1,000.
People went mad for the sandwich and waited for hours line to get their hands on one, some people even listing them on EBay with an asking price of $7,000.
At one location, when the sandwich came back in stock, the hysteria became fatal when a man was stabbed to death outside a Maryland Popeyes by another customer who accused him of cutting in line.
It was with this fanatical history, the Oxford Mail got a sneak peek behind Popeyes orange curtain.
The inside of the restaurant is designed to pay homage to the brand’s Louisiana routes, with references to the culture of New Orleans dotted throughout the site.
Much like Wendy’s, another famous American chain which opened in the city last year, the Queen Street branch of Popeyes has a sleek open-plan feel.
This design is replicated in the way the kitchen and order area is laid out; open plan so customers can see what is happening with their food at all times.
It was here that I was given the opportunity to witness how the staff prepare Popeyes famous chicken, before getting the chance to make my own chicken sandwich.
Unlike many of the brand’s competitors, Popeyes continues to use many of the same methods it did when it was founded in 1972.
The chicken breast is hand stretched by the staff in order to get the most of the meat, resulting in a bite of chicken in every part of the sandwich.
Following this, for 40 seconds it is heavily coated in Popeyes special seasoning which utilises Cajun spices, although the exact make-up of the mix is under lock and key.
The time spent coating the stretched chicken is done to ensure the coating will ‘shatter’ when bitten, a distinct physical experience of the food that the chain is known for.
It is then dunked into a fryer which changes the temperature of the oil in the centre, in order to rotate the chicken and create a consistent coating.
This method of changing oil temperatures was used by founder Al Copeland and is something the brand has proudly stuck to for 50 years.
Getting my hands (metaphorically) dirty when creating my own sandwich was decidedly simple.
The product is quite literally a bun, fried chicken, some mayo and a couple of gherkins.
The taste and texture, however, was absolutely out of this world.
Popeyes iconic ‘shatter crunch’ coating mixed with the juicy chicken breast was full of flavour but without the greasiness of other chain chicken shops.
I was reluctant to give into the sheer hype because, at the end of the day, it is just a sandwich. However, having now tasted it I can appreciate the cult following Popeyes has around the world.
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This story was written by Sophie Perry. She joined the team in 2021 as a digital reporter.
You can get in touch with her by emailing: sophie.perry@newsquest.co.uk
Follow her on Twitter @itssophieperry
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