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Popeyes’ pandemic pivots continue amid brand growthPopeyes’ pandemic pivots continue amid brand growth

Franchising executive Jourdan Daleo outlines expansion for ‘nimble’ brand in CREATE webinar

Ron Ruggless, Senior Editor

March 3, 2022

3 Min Read
Popeyes Create Jourdan Daleo Pitfalls
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen has retained some pandemic innovations, including double drive-thrus, as it expands.Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen relied on drive-thrus, including a test of double lanes, and other pivots during the COVID pandemic, and those are likely to continue impacting franchising efforts, a brand development executive said Wednesday.

Jourdan Daleo, senior vice president of franchising and field operations for Popeyes Americas, presented “Growth Fundamentals: Avoiding Pitfalls During Rapid Expansion” during Wednesday’s CREATE webinar, sponsored by BOHA! by TransAct Technologies Inc.

“We pivoted much of our business to drive-thru through the pandemic,” Daleo said, “and we really see that as a trend that's going to maintain.”

The pandemic also has impacted the physical layout of newer stores, Daleo added.

“We are putting in more double drive-thrus than we ever have before to really accommodate a different preference of some of our guests,” she said. “We've had to be really nimble.”

Daleo said Popeyes’ expansion during the pandemic relied on “building out locations that can handle that type of capacity and delivery.”

At the end of fiscal 2021 on Dec. 31, Popeyes had 3,705 restaurants in its system, up from 3,451 at the end of 2020. Of those, 2,754 were in the United States and 951 were international locations. The brand is owned by Toronto-based Restaurant Brands International Inc., which also owns Burger King, Tim Hortons and the recently acquired Firehouse Subs.

Adding more than 250 net new Popeyes restaurants in the pandemic year of 2021 allowed the brand to emphasize convenience and modernize to increase capacity in the units, Daleo said

There are a lot of opportunities to modernize and really speak to the guests coming into the restaurants again,” she said.

Daleo said Popeyes looks to recruit franchisees “who really identify with us as a brand and are proud to be a part of it — believe in our food and believe in what we do.”

The brand also looks for franchise partners who will develop units for the long term as well as keep a close eye on restaurant operations.

“While we do want long-term, patient capital — and to be clear we do look for partners that are going to be in it with us for the long haul — we are hyper-focused on truly good operators, hands-on operators,” Daleo said.

Daleo recalled that she was on a market tour in New York last week and a franchisee noticed an inconsistency in one of the batters.

The operator, she said, “stopped immediately, put down his books, his notepads, set them aside and spent the next half hour coaching through some adjustments and modifications that that made a huge difference in the quality to the guest.”

That hands-on operator exemplifies what Popeyes is seeking, she said. “We're not just looking for people that are going to open quickly. We are looking for partners that have this passion and are the best partners out there.”

Popeyes realizes franchising has a personal side, Daleo added. “It's a partnership at the end of the day,” she said.

Daleo, who also has worked with RBI’s Burger King brand, said franchise relationships are highly important.

“The experiences with both brands has taught me so much about both growth and the importance of franchisee relationships,” she said.

Popeyes has large growth opportunities because of its smaller numbers, Daleo said, especially compared to more mature brands like Burger King, which ended 2021 with 19,247 units worldwide.

“We do need to ensure we're growing with the right partners, new or existing,” she said. “We need to focus on our relationships and profitability and ensure that we've got the right structure in place, the economics in place, to really have our franchisees succeed.”

Popeyes was founded in 1972 in New Orleans, La., and celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

Contact Ron Ruggless at [email protected]

Follow him on Twitter: @RonRuggless

About the Author

Ron Ruggless

Senior Editor, Nation’s Restaurant News / Restaurant Hospitality

Ron Ruggless serves as a senior editor for Informa Connect’s Nation’s Restaurant News (NRN.com) and Restaurant Hospitality (Restaurant-Hospitality.com) online and print platforms. He joined NRN in 1992 after working 10 years in various roles at the Dallas Times Herald newspaper, including restaurant critic, assistant business editor, food editor and lifestyle editor. He also edited several printings of the Zagat Dining Guide for Dallas-Fort Worth, and his articles and photographs have appeared in Food & Wine, Food Network and Self magazines. 

Ron Ruggless’ areas of expertise include foodservice mergers, acquisitions, operations, supply chain, research and development and marketing. 

Ron Ruggless is a frequent moderator and panelist at industry events ranging from the Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators (MUFSO) conference to RestaurantSpaces, the Council of Hospitality and Restaurant Trainers, the National Restaurant Association’s Marketing Executives Group, local restaurant associations and the Horeca Professional Expo in Madrid, Spain.

Ron Ruggless’ experience:

Regional and Senior Editor, Informa Connect’s Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality (1992 to present)

Features Editor – Dallas Times Herald (1989-1991)

Restaurant Critic and Food Editor – Dallas Times Herald (1987-1988)

Editing Roles – Dallas Times Herald (1982-1987)

Editing Roles – Charlotte (N.C.) Observer (1980-1982)

Editing Roles – Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald (1978-1980)

Email: [email protected]

Social media:

Twitter@RonRuggless

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ronruggless

Instagram: @RonRuggless

TikTok: @RonRuggless

 

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