Operations

Popeyes to return to South Korea

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November 9, 2022

Popeyes will return to South Korea after leaving the country for two years, according to a report in The Korea Herald. The brand shuttered its South Korean units in Dec. 2020.

Popeyes will open a restaurant near Gangnam Station in Seoul. It originally opened in 1994 with more than 200 locations in the country, but the brand only had around 10 locations in 2020 when it left South Korea.

"The growth of South Korea's burger market can be attributed to the Westernization of the Korean people's palette," Lee Eun-hee, consumer science professor at Inha University, told news outlet. "The demand for animal protein is going up, but steak and other meats are expensive, so people look for alternatives."