'If you snooze, you lose': Madness as people queue up for 17 hours at Popeyes first drive-thru in Greater Manchester

On 9am on Friday morning (April 26), there is already a steady line of people patiently queued up outside the new Popeyes drive-thru restaurant in Salford - but people have been waiting for far longer than that to be the first to get their hands on the chain’s Louisiana-style fried chicken.

Fans have been waiting for up to 17 hours, and possibly earning themselves a record for the longest wait here in the country, to be one of the lucky three customers in both the walk-up and drive-thru lines to get free chicken for a year.

Having gained a cult following since launching in the UK just three years ago, but being a well-known name in America since 1972, fans have praised the crispy chicken sandwiches for being just as good, or better, than its other well known counterparts. And now, Greater Manchester, has its second store following the launch of last year’s Piccadilly Gardens branch.

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First in line at the door of the restaurant is a young man who lives locally and has a simple reason for choosing to get in line first. “If you snooze, you lose,” Javier tells the M.E.N. “I got here at 5.30pm yesterday. I came here straight from college and I’m going back there after this. I don’t know why it’s so good, I can’t say. The chicken is just banging. It’s free scran, so of course I’m going to be here.”

Javier, who says he’s made friends with a group of other young men in the queue overnight, added: “I’ve got free chicken, I’ve made some new friends, and I’ve got a free Popeyes t-shirt, life is good.”

Over in the drive-thru queue, the first in line was a man, who did not want to be named, who said he had been waiting since 6pm on Thursday night - having initially turned up at 9am. He came back after work with bedding in the back of his car to camp out overnight in.

“I knew I was going to win this,” he said. “I’m not here to play games. They told me I’ve broken a record for the longest wait because I first got here at 9am. I’ve actually had a full eight hour’s sleep, I’ve got heated seats in my car, I’ve been working from here and I’m just living the dream really.”

Behind him is 21-year-old student Bashar Alturq, who has been in his car since 7pm. “I just drove past and was a bit curious to see what was going on,” he explained. “I’ve driven past it before but when I heard there was free chicken going, I thought I might as well queue up.

“I live nearby so I got my mum to bring me a sleeping bag and my university work, so I’ve just been sitting in the car doing some revision - it’s worthwhile.” Asking what his mum makes of the fact he was prepared to wait 16 hours for a year’s supply of free food, Bashar, who studies dentistry in Leeds, Bashar said: "She laughed but she bought into it, she thought ‘why not’.

“At the end of the day, I was either going to be asleep at home or in my car. I made it worthwhile, I’ve spoken to lots of good people, it’s been fun.”

Bashar, who was born in America, added: “I’m going to have to share them amongst my uni mates, but I think when I’m hungry mid-day and there’s a Popeyes only five minutes away, then why not? It’s a big deal as a university student these days. I’ll take anything for free these days!”

Further down the drive-thru line is Evan Laurence, originally from near Chicago but has lived locally for the last 20 years. Whilst she didn't get a year's supply of free food, she was one of the lucky 25 to get a free sandwich for her and her son. She said: “It’s better than the competitor where I’m from. I’ve never actually had it here yet, so I’m excited to see how it compares.”

With her young son Matt, who was off school sick, Evan said she had stumbled into the queue by pure chance. “We had just been to the doctor’s, and my son was keen to see what was going on,” she explained.

“We come down here fairly often because he’s been really interested in the construction of the place for the last few months, so we just wandered over really and decided to get in line. Finger’s crossed it’s just as good as it is in America, I’m excited to find out!”

A local resident said he had walked from Cheetham Hill to see what all the fuss was about and described the queues, both of cars and people, as 'madness'. "I heard about it online and wanted to see how many people would turn up," the man, who did not give a name, said. "It's madness."

The first drive-thru Popeyes for Greater Manchester comes following a major rollout of stores across the UK. Its chicken, which is marinated in buttermilk for 12 hours before being dredged in seasoned flour with its secret recipe of herbs and spices, has gained a cult following.

Sandwiches, starting from £5.99, can be decked out with pickles, Louisiana smoked American cheese, BBQ sauce and mayo, alongside an assortment of other toppings. There’s also chicken tenders and other sides, as well as a breakfast menu featuring Nutella-topped buttermilk biscuits and muffins with sausage, eggs and Cajun hash browns.

At the launch of the new drive-thru store, Tom Crowley, CEO of Popeyes UK, told the M.E.N that the chain hopes to have 60 stores open across the country by the end of the year. “Popeyes has 4,500 stores globally, we have 46 stores in the UK now, and we can see that the demand is just there,” Tom said. “I think it’s the combination of the 50 years of heritage, the quality of the product and the good value that just seems to be working wherever we go.”

Tom says, whilst there are plans in the works for further stores locally, it’s all about the brand learning to walk before it runs. “The aim is always to focus on every store and the customers,” he explains. “Greater Manchester has always been good to us and we want to do more here, there are a couple of things in the works, but let’s focus on this one for now and make sure we get it right.”

Popeyes is at 288-292 Bury New Road, Salford, M7 2YJ.