One couple spent almost 20 hours in their car
Popeyes officially opens in Bristol (Friday, April 11) at Avonmeads Retail Park(Image: Paul Gillis/Reach Plc)
Bristol’s first Popeyes restaurant finally opened its doors at Avonmeads Retail Park, with some customers having queued overnight to be first in line.
The globally-known Louisiana Fried Chicken brand, which was established in New Orleans in 1972, has been a hotly-anticipated restaurant opening in the city, and the lengthy queue more than proved that Bristolians couldn’t wait to get their hands on some free chicken.
The first 100 people in the queue today received a free Popeyes Chicken Sandwich, while the first four in the queue and the first four to have parked up in the iconic bright orange Popeyes Park and Serve bays in the car park, were handed a giant ticket that entitles them to free chicken for an entire year.
BristolLive spoke with one couple who had been parked in one of the orange Park and Serve bays since 2pm the previous day, and had been rewarded with one of the highly sought after giant tickets.
Luciano Busuttil and Lilly Evans had travelled from South Wales to claim the coveted prize. The pair said: “We did it. It was a long night, we didn’t sleep much, but now we have a year’s worth of free chicken.
“We arrived yesterday at 2.30pm. Last night was a bit uncomfortable – it was awful, but I’d say it was worth it, definitely. I can’t wait to try a deluxe chicken sandwich from the menu.”
One lucky winner who had parked up on Thursday evening had already collected their prize and driven home, and some cars had tried to park up in the then empty orange bay to try their luck at getting some free chicken themselves. But the tickets had already been handed.
Back among the queue, the sun was out, there was music playing through speakers, and everyone was also handed an official limited edition Popeyes Bristol T-shirt, which featured Poppy the chicken (the brand’s mascot) and iconic symbols of Bristol, including Clifton Suspension Bridge and a hot-air balloon.
Luciano Busuttil and Lilly Evans had travelled all the way from South Wales to claim the coveted prize(Image: Paul Gillis/Reach Plc)
At 10am this morning, an hour before the doors were set to open, some 80 people were counted to be in the queue, which grew as time went by.
People young and old queued up – from teenagers who were enjoying their Easter holidays, to the more mature chicken fans, who simply wanted to sample some of the menu – some were still in their pyjamas, and there was even a father and his very small baby waiting in line.
At 11am, the Popeyes Bristol team stood together out the front of the new restaurant for a ribbon cutting ceremony, complete with confetti cannons.
Then, the doors opened to hand out the free Popeyes Chicken Sandwiches (including the one that broke the internet) and those that had queued for hours had big smiles on faces as they tucked into them.
Inside the restaurant, which seats 88 people in total, the brand’s special photo booth has been set up for the opening, to capture as many Popeyes fans as possible.
Known as being the home of ‘Famous Louisiana Chicken’, founded in New Orleans in 1972, this latest opening marks the brand’s 76th location since first landing in the UK in 2021, and the 11th opening in the country this year.
The city’s new opening will welcome the brand’s breakfast menu, which will be available from 8am until 11am everyday and consists of British breakfast classics with a New Orleans twist, including breakfast rolls, muffins, biscuits and Cajun hash browns.
The new restaurant sits in the former home of the Krispy Kreme branch in Avonmeads, and stands out with its bright signature orange branding and colour scheme.