Softlogic brings iconic US fried chicken brand Popeyes to Sri Lanka

• First Popeyes restaurant opens in Mount Lavinia

Popeyes, the iconic global fried chicken brand that started in Louisiana, USA, officially announces its entry into the Sri Lankan market. 

From 25 February guests can experience the unique New Orleans style mouth-watering menu at the first ever Popeyes restaurant in Sri Lanka, located at 282, Galle Road, Mount Lavinia. The new Popeyes restaurant will be the fifth international franchise brand under Softlogic Restaurants Ltd., making the company one of the biggest restaurant brand owners in the country.

Built on 1,300 square feet, the Popeyes restaurant will offer an expansive dining experience. The interiors are sleek, bright, and airy, with colourful decals on the wall. Moreover, the welcoming atmosphere will unquestionably draw families and kids to savour the wide range of delicious food items available. Having set up shop within Softlogic Glomark, Mount Lavinia enables guests to enjoy ample parking facilities with the added convenience of dual entrances from both Galle Road and Hotel Road providing easy access to the restaurant.

The Popeyes menu will feature its signature Louisiana flavoured, world famous Buttermilk Chicken Sandwich, complementing the menu with the juicy Bone-in Chicken, super tender Boneless Chicken and the delicious Cajun Fries on the side. Moreover, the menu will feature firm specialities such as Popeyes Popcorn Shrimp and Cajun Shrimp Burger bound to be crowd pullers and firm favourites for their uniqueness and taste. Last, but not least, the Rice Meals with a Sri Lankan twist will be offered in two variations: Classic and Spicy, with the option of choosing Signature Fried or Grilled Chicken.

Founded in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, in 1972, the Popeyes brand is admired across the globe for its unique selection of high-quality chicken and seafood, prepared with its proprietary cooking techniques and authentic Louisiana flavors.  Over the course of its five decade history, Popeyes has become one of the world’s leading fried chicken brands, best known for its spicy New Orleans style fried chicken and Popeyes Chicken Sandwich. 

The Popeyes Chicken Sandwich took the internet by storm in August 2019 in the United States. Guests queued up for miles for the chance to taste the Chicken Sandwich. Reviews of the Chicken Sandwich on YouTube were viewed millions of times over. A sandwich was even auctioned off in the United States for several thousand US dollars for charity. The popularity of the Popeyes brand has been growing ever since. The success of the Popeyes Chicken Sandwich was no accident.  

At Popeyes, ingredients are carefully selected, there are no shortcuts on quality and they believe that the best food takes time. The brand’s high quality chicken has been appreciated by renowned chefs who understand its traditional techniques of freshly hand breading, battering and marinating its chicken for 12 hours in bold Louisiana seasonings.  

This unique process ensures the Popeyes brand’s legendary fried chicken remains moist and juicy on the inside, and deliciously crispy on the outside, which makes the brand’s  great tasting products a point of reference  among both the public and celebrities around the world.  

Speaking at the opening, Softlogic Group Chairman Ashok Pathirage said: “We, at Softlogic, are delighted and extremely proud to onboard the Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen brand to our multibrand synergistic platform of restaurant franchises. Softlogic Restaurants has taken great strides in ensuring that customers are able to indulge and explore a global cuisine for the discerning palate by introducing great brands such as Popeyes to the local audience. We are confident that our avid guests will greatly enjoy this unique brand with its compelling taste and product variety.”

Ekrem Ozer, APAC President of Restaurant Brands International Inc. (RBI), the parent company of Popeyes, commented: “We are excited to accompany our strong partner Softlogic Group on their journey as we seek to bring the Popeyes brand’s 49 years of food heritage and joy to Sri Lanka. We believe that our authentic brand where flavour is everything will resonate well with guests in Sri Lanka and we are confident they will Love That Chicken from Popeyes.”