In the early 1970s, Louisianan Al Copeland had an idea. He wanted to create a restaurant to compete with KFC. In June 1972 he followed through on the idea, opening “Chicken on the Run” just outside of New Orleans in Arabi. Unfortunately, it closed a number of months later. Undeterred, Copeland reportedly reopened the restaurant a few days later with a new, spicier recipe and a new name: Popeyes Mighty Good Chicken.
Over the years, Popeyes has gone through many ownership and name changes. It’s now known as Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, and is owned by Restaurant Brands International (also parent company of Burger King, Tim Hortons, and Firehouse Subs). Popeyes is currently the second biggest chicken franchise in the world, trailing only its inspiration: KFC.
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Types of Popeyes Franchises
Popeyes restaurants are located in many different communities and different locations within communities including free-standing buildings, store-front locations, and mall locations, in urban and suburban locations. Popeyes restaurants may feature a walk-in format, drive-thru, sit-down, takeout, delivery, or some combination of these types. As a result, the range of potential initial investment for a Popeyes franchise can vary widely.
How Much Does a Popeyes Franchise Cost?
The estimated opening cost for a new Popeyes restaurant, including for the initial set up and first three months of operation, ranges between $504,545 and $3,923,245 (excluding the purchase of real estate/land).
The estimate in the chart below comes from the FDD of Popeyes, dated 2025. The estimates are provided by Popeyes based off of its years of experience in franchising its brand.
| Name of Fee | Low | High |
| Franchise Fee | $50,000 | $50,000 |
| Real Estate and Improvements | Variable | |
| Soft Costs | $8,000 | $420,000 |
| Site Work | $0 | $800,000 |
| Building | $100,000 | $1,600,000 |
| FF&E Signage and Technology | $265,000 | $865,000 |
| Initial Training | $17,200 | $24,200 |
| Opening Supplies | $13,000 | $26,000 |
| Insurance | $23,000 | $47,000 |
| Utility Deposits | $2,500 | $50,000 |
| Business Licenses | $1,300 | $6,500 |
| Additional Funds – 3 months | $20,000 | $30,000 |
| ESTIMATED TOTAL (doesn’t include real estate costs) | $504,545 | $3,923,245 |
Like any similar business, Popeyes opening costs include acquiring real estate, renovation and/or construction costs, equipment, signage, professional fees (which can include license, accounting, and lawyer fees), and more.
Variations in initial investment depend on area real estate costs, the size of outlet being opened, the construction that needs to be done, and additional factors such as the amount of traffic the restaurant gets in its opening months. As you can see, though, the range given above doesn’t include real estate costs. A number of franchisors don’t provide a real estate cost estimate because of its price variability from place to place.
In addition to the “normal” costs, the most common fee in buying a franchise is the franchise fee.
What is the Popeyes Franchise Fee?
The franchise fee for a Popeyes franchise is $50,000 unless the franchisee is opening the franchised restaurant under one of the company's Development Incentive Programs.
The franchise fee is basically a cover charge for entry into a franchise system, and for taking advantage of the expertise the franchisor has acquired. It typically covers the right to use the franchisor’s system (including trademarks and operating system), and services the franchisor provides to franchisees like help finding a location, training materials, etc.
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For more details on the costs of a Popeyes franchise, please see our Popeyes' FDD page. To explore additional chicken franchise options, browse our chicken franchise opportunities page.