Customers of a new fast food restaurant opening this week are expected to queue around the block, its owners claim.
Popeyes will open its first outlet on the south coast this weekend in North Street, Brighton, promising to welcome customers with Louisiana-style hospitality.
The soon-to-open restaurant features a series of digital screens for customers to order from, as well as a number of booths and tables for people to sit and enjoy their food.
The outlet also has two refillable drinks machines, sat on a counter alongside a condiments stand.
Founded in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1972, Popeyes is renowned in the United States for its selection of spicy chicken, chicken tenders and its flagship product, the chicken sandwich.
The first three visitors to the new restaurant will receive free chicken sandwiches for a whole year, with the first 50 customers also receiving a free chicken sandwich and an official Popeyes T-shirt.
Tom Crowley, CEO of Popeyes UK, said that the company had been wanting to expand to Brighton for some time.
He said: “We’ve got a great site and the response so far has been brilliant, with lots of people peering in the window and wanting to get in.
“We’re very excited and can’t wait to open the doors and welcome the people of Brighton.
“Brighton is a very cosmopolitan city and Popeyes has always been about inclusion and diversity. The brand and the city will go very well together, and we expect Brighton will fall in love with Popeyes.”
Mr Crowley said that Popeyes’ unique “shatter-crunch” chicken, cajun fries and Louisana hospitality stand it out from other American fast food chain restaurants.
“There’s nothing else in the UK quite like it,” he said.
Among the items available for customers is the American “biscuit” - a soft, round, buttery baked product, which is similar in appearance to a scone. However, while scones are typically accompanied by sweet toppings, like jam, American biscuits are savoury.
Mr Crowley said: “We talked a lot about whether to launch the biscuit in the UK. Some research had said it was a bad idea, but we felt that it is part of the brand and that we should bring that to Britain.”
He said that the “biscuit” has been well-received by customers, with thousands sold across the country.
The new restaurant opens to the public on Saturday from 11am and will be open every day from 10.30am until 10pm.
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