Opening date revealed for American fried chicken drive-thru restaurant at former Buddies site in Northampton

An opening date has been revealed for a brand new fast-food restaurant and takeaway in a busy part of Northampton.

Popeyes has been gearing up to open only its second drive-thru restaurant in the country at the former Buddies USA Diner in Sixfields, which closed down during the Covid pandemic.

Over the last two months construction workers have been gutting out the former Buddies Diner to make way for the brand new southern fried chicken restaurant.

Once complete, the site will include seating indoors and outside, a dual-ordering lane to reduce expected vehicle queues, and car park for customers who would like to eat inside the 68-seat restaurant.

Renowned for its chicken sandwich that ‘broke the internet’ when it launched in the US and its world-famous ‘shatter crunch’ chicken, Popeyes say the new restaurant will offer the brand’s full ‘mouth-watering’ menu, which includes the ‘much-loved’ signature Louisiana chicken, signature wraps, chicken tenders, hot wings, and Popeyes biscuits with gravy, plus much more, seven days a week.

The restaurant will also be serving its brand-new breakfast menu that offers a twist on British breakfast favourites, including big breakfast rolls and a variety of sausage, bacon, egg and cheese muffins, alongside cajun hash browns, and Louisiana buttermilk biscuits served with cinnamon sugar or Nutella.

Tom Crowley, CEO at Popeyes® UK, said: “After the success of our first drive-thru opening we’re thrilled to be announcing the opening of our second drive-thru restaurant in Northampton this summer.

"Our Rotherham drive-thru opening was our biggest opening to date, not just in the UK but for Popeyes globally. Parkgate Shopping park was grid locked on our opening day, and we’re ready to go again in Northampton.

“We’re continuing to build drive-thrus as a strategic direction for the business as we grow around the UK, and the Sixfields site is one we’ve been looking at for over a year as part of that.

“We’re confident that the new restaurant, located in the heart of Northampton, will be really popular and can’t wait to announce our opening day giveaway plans soon.”

Popeyes confirmed that the Sixfields site will be opening next month (July). A specific date is yet to be confirmed.

Customers are advised to arrive early to be in with a chance of winning prizes throughout opening day.

Some customers have reportedly queued from 4am for up to 12 hours in anticipation of the official openings in other locations nationwide, say Popeyes.

The all-new drive-thru restaurant is the brand’s eighth opening in 2023 and marks the chain’s 19th UK site since opening its first UK restaurant in Stratford in 2021.

Popeyes will join McDonald's, Five Guys, KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut on the Sixfields fast-food circuit.

According to numerous media outlets, Popeyes has plans to open 350 new UK restaurants in the next 10 years.

To find out more about Popeyes® UK, visit https://popeyesuk.com or follow the brand on Instagram at @PopeyesUK or TikTok at @popeyesuk.