Popeyes opens in Guildford: Surrey’s first Louisiana chicken restaurant welcomes its queue

Popeyes has opened in Guildford, giving Surrey its first branch of the American fried chicken chain.

Surrey Extra was on the pavement outside as the doors opened on Wednesday 26 August, filming the queue that had formed under the new orange fascia in the town centre. The chain had advertised Friday 28 August as its opening date, and we have not been able to establish which of the two Popeyes counts as the official one.

A year of free chicken sandwiches

The three people at the front of the queue came back out holding boards reading “1 Year of Free Chicken Sandwiches” — the giveaway Popeyes has used at openings across the country, and the reason people turn up long before the shutters go up. Sleeping bags and rucksacks were still stacked against the window when we filmed.

Openings elsewhere have drawn queues from as early as 4am, according to SurreyLive.

Where it is

The restaurant occupies the town centre unit beside White Lion Walk that was, until recently, JD Sports, before the sportswear chain moved into a larger store in the Friary Centre. Orange “Openin’ Soon” banners went up on the hoardings in July, complete with a QR code for job applications.

It is the first Popeyes anywhere in Surrey. The chain, which built its name in Louisiana, has expanded quickly across the UK since arriving in 2021 and now sits alongside KFC as the town’s big-name fried chicken option.

Watch the opening

Our full clip from the opening is on YouTube:

Have you been yet? Tell us what you made of it on Instagram.