A huge queue greeted the arrival of the latest Popeyes fried chicken restaurant – right at the heart of Manchester’s student heartland

Three Manchester University students were first in the massive queue to get inside the new Popeyes in Rusholme(Image: MEN)

Eager students queued up from the “crack of dawn” to be the first inside the new restaurant from American fried chicken giant Popeyes in Rusholme. The latest opening sits right at the heart of Manchester’s student heartland, close to Manchester University on Wilmslow Road.

And with the promise that the first three people in the queue could win a whole YEAR’s supply of Popeyes’ deluxe chicken sandwiches, it was worth an early start for some.

Manchester University students Mark, Soumili and Hadi were the lucky three who got to the front doors first – although it was a very early hours start for them on Friday morning to secure their victory.

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Soumili, 20, said: “We’ve been here since the crack of dawn – it was about 4am when we arrived and we were quite shocked that we were first.”

The huge queue for the opening of Popeyes started at 4am(Image: Popeyes)

Mark, 22, added: “It was a spur of the moment thing, we were both awake and we messaged each other saying shall we do this? We live pretty near here so thought why not.”

They were joined an hour later, at around 5am, by Hadi, 22, who became the third winner of the top prize of a year’s supply of Popeyes’ famous Delxue Chicken Sandwich.

The opening of the new Wilmslow Road restaurant is the brand’s biggest regional investment of the year and has created 33 new jobs for the area. Bosses were keen to snap up the site due to its location right at the heart of one of the UK’s largest student communities.

(Image: Popeyes)

They have promised to bring their signature “bold Louisiana flavour to one of the city’s most vibrant and hungry neighbourhoods” in announcing the launch.

It marks the eleventh opening of 2026 from Popeyes, and its sixth restaurant across Greater Manchester.

As well as the first three big winners in the queue, the next 50 customers were also treated to exclusive Popeyes merchandise as well as a free Deluxe Chicken Sandwich.

Staff celebrate the opening of the new Popeyes(Image: Popeyes)

The new restaurant features a sit-in diner, as well the option to takeaway and is now serving up its signature “taste of New Orleans” range with chicken wraps, hot wings, tenders and chicken sandwiches all with its “world famous shatter crunch” batter. There’s also the new honey BBQ range to try too.

Tom Crowley, Popeyes UK CEO, said: “Wilmslow Road has a real energy to it, as home to one of the biggest student communities in the country, it’s exactly the kind of neighbourhood Popeyes belongs in.

“We can’t wait to welcome the community to our newest restaurant.”

Popeyes is at Wilmslow Park, Unit 7 Wilmslow Road, Manchester, M13 0JN and is open now.