“Popeye’s” as we know it today, almost did not make it in the fast-food world. When the business was started in 1972 by Alvin C. Copeland, the “Chicken on the Run” restaurant in Arabi, Louisiana (near New Orleans) had less-than-stellar sales. Then Alvin changed the name to Popeye’s and started serving spicy Louisiana/New Orleans chicken, and the franchise took off. Now, under the new corporate name of Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen, it has over 2000 stores worldwide (most in the United States, of course) and is traded on NASDAC. Not bad for such a relatively young company.

Popeye’s has an eye for quality

Even though Popeye’s might not be the first chicken establishment you think of when you feel like some good, fried chicken, it has been acknowledged as the tastiest. In 2010, it beat KFC in a National Taste Test. It’s Bonafide ® Chicken is marinated for 18 hours, then battered and fried up fresh. They say that the taste goes all the way through and hungry patrons agree with that claim. But Popeye’ is not just about chicken: they serve up tasty fish and seafood dishes as well. If you feel like biting into some spicy Cajun fish, or shrimp, or you want to try a Seafood Po’boy sandwich you can get those at Popeye’s. They even have fish and seafood combinations, so you can have a little bit of everything. And, of course, you can add some of their delicious spicy chicken to any dish.

Popeye’s Louisiana Live Well menu

If you are watching your waist, and want a menu that will not ruin your diet, you can try any number of low-cal, high-taste dishes from Popeye’s Louisiana Live Well menu. All the items on this menu are less than 350 calories, and include entrées like chicken tenders, chicken and sausage jambalaya, rice and beans and coleslaw. They even have a 300 calories and below menu, and a 200 calories and below menu.

At the moment, Popeye’s is running a shrimp special in addition to the regular Popeye’s menu items. Their Butterfly Shrimp Tackle box has eight large butterfly shrimp (battered and fried, of course) a biscuit, Cajun or regular fries (small) and dipping sauce. All for just $4.99. That’s a whole lot of good, as they would say in the South. If you need dessert after all that tastiness, you can add a Blueberry Lemon Cream Cheese Pie to your order. It’s a hand-held pie – not a slice, so don’t worry about it dripping down the front of your shirt!