The Louisiana fried chicken chain will bring Popeyes total number of Greater Manchester stores up to nine
Popeyes has announced a major expansion across Greater Manchester, confirming that five new restaurants will open this year. This includes a new landmark site at Manchester Piccadilly Station, the region’s busiest rail hub.
The new restaurant openings will more than double Popeyes footprint in Greater Manchester, joining four existing restaurants at Manchester Arndale, Piccadilly Gardens, Bury New Road and Bolton, which saw fans start queuing from 2am ahead of its opening last week. By the end of 2026, the region will be home to nine Popeyes locations, creating over 500 jobs.
The confirmed new restaurants will open at Oldham, Elk Mill Retail Park, Manchester Wilmslow Road, Wilmslow Park and Manchester Piccadilly Station, with the other two to be announced soon. The Manchester Piccadilly Station site will take over the former Leon site which shuttered in December.
Tom Crowley, Popeyes UK Chief Executive Officer, said: “Greater Manchester has an incredible food scene, and we’re excited to announce five new restaurant openings across the region, our biggest regional investment of 2026. From the city’s busiest transport hub to vibrant communities like Oldham, we can’t wait to welcome new fans, serve up our world-famous chicken and bring the unforgettable launch-day energy Popeyes is known for.”
With both dine-in and takeaway options available, fried chicken fans across all restaurants will be able to enjoy dishes such as the Chicken Sandwich, Hot Wings, Tenders, and Signature Chicken Wraps. All of Popeyes chicken is halal certified and marinated for 12 hours in its signature bold Louisiana seasoning, then hand-breaded and battered for its signature ‘Shatter Crunch’.
New for 2026 is the Shatter Crunch Savers range, which has introduced 28 new menu items starting from £1.99. The new menu includes the all-new The Chicken Cruncher, a Shatter Crunchin’ chicken tender made from 100% fresh chicken, drizzled with smoky Kickback Sauce and nestled in a sweet bun, available for £2.49 or £4.99 as a meal.
Greater Manchester is set to see the highest number of new Popeyes openings anywhere in the UK this year. The expansion will bring Popeyes Louisiana-style fried chicken and launch-day giveaways closer to even more communities across the region.
Previous opening days in Manchester have seen fans queuing around the block, with chicken lovers waiting for more than 25 hours to get a taste of Popeyes world-famous Chicken Sandwich when its Bury New Road restaurant opened in April 2024.
In 2025, Popeyes UK also teamed up with Manchester streetwear legends UN:IK Clothing for an exclusive merchandise drop at its Manchester Piccadilly restaurant, with Chicken Sandwiches and limited-edition graphic tees snapped up by crowds in under 15 minutes.
On Friday morning (January 23), the Louisiana fried chicken chain opened its latest store and its first in Bolton with a new location inside the former Pizza Hut restaurant in Middlebrook Retail Park. As with all of Popeyes previous openings, big queues were anticipated as the first in line were promised a bunch of free items.
Opening at 11am, both the first four customers queuing on foot and the first four cars in the Park & Serve bays all won free Deluxe Chicken Sandwiches for a whole year. The first 50 customers also got their hands on exclusive Popeyes UK merchandise, whilst the first 100 were also able to claim a free Deluxe Chicken Sandwich.
The confirmed new restaurants, with two more still to be announced, will be located at:
- Popeyes UK Oldham – Elk Mill Retail Park, Broadway, Royton, Oldham OL2 5HX
- Popeyes UK Manchester Wilmslow Road – Wilmslow Park, Unit 7 Wilmslow Road, Manchester M13 0JN
- Popeyes UK Manchester Piccadilly Station – Unit 17, Gateway House, Piccadilly, Manchester M1 2HG
