Popeyes Has An Older Fast Food Sister Chain That Might Surprise You

Popeyes is known for its tasty, Louisiana-style fried chicken and buttermilk biscuits and for some of the best red beans and rice that you can get anywhere. But Popeyes has only been around since the early 1970s, and before there was Popeyes, there was Burger King. And decades later, these two popular fast-food chains were united in fraternity and fries.

Both brands are part of RBI, or Restaurant Brands International, which was formed back in 2014 when Burger King merged with Tim Hortons (the famous Canadian coffeeshop/restaurant chain that now operates globally) to create a new business venture. At that time, the new company was worth about $23 billion and owned 18,000 restaurants in 100 different countries. Although the various restaurants would continue operating independently as they always had, they would have the backing and support of RBI.

In 2017, RBI acquired its third brand — Popeyes, which at that time was cooking up chicken in 2,600 different locations in 25 countries. It has since expanded its family again, adopting a fourth sibling for the group: Firehouse Subs, acquired in 2021 for $1 billion in cash. Today, RBI owns 33,000 restaurants across 120 countries, bringing in $49 billion in sales per year.

Burger King is the eldest of the sister chains, having begun in 1954, while Popeyes didn't open until 1972. Both are successful restaurant brands, though at different scales: With RBI's help, Popeyes now operates an estimated 5,413 restaurants globally, with 3,578 locations in the U.S. and Canada. Burger King, on the other hand, is a significantly larger brand, with just shy of 20,000 restaurants worldwide.

However,  Popeyes is currently struggling, while Burger King is going through a good patch. The chicken chain experienced four consecutive bad quarters of same-store sales in 2025 — its worst in years. BK, on the other hand, saw spikes in sales in 2026, thanks in large part to new programs, initiatives, and marketing campaigns. Sales were up more than 8% in the second quarter of this year alone. But hope is not lost for Popeyes. RBI is confident that it can bring the franchise back to where it should be through various planned improvements. After all, as its jingle proclaims, so many people really do "love that chicken from Popeyes."