Al Copeland opened a fast food chicken shop, Chicken in the Run, in 1972, serving traditional fried chicken. It was in response to Kentucky Fried Chicken’s entry onto the New Orleans market.
The first franchise opened in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1976. By 1981 there were more than 300 Popeyes outlets.
In 1989, Popeyes acquired Church’s Chicken. Two years later, Popeyes opened a restaurant in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and later opened an outlet in Schweinfurt, Germany.
The merger produced a hugh debt that eventually led to bankruptcy and in 1993, America’s Favorite Chicken Company, now known as AFC Enterprise, Inc., was created as the parent company for both restaurant chains.
In 1993 that parent company relocated its headquarters to Atlanta and later changed its name to AFC Enterprise.
In 2004 AFC operated 3,896 restaurants bakeries and cafes in the United States, Puerto Rico and thirty other countries using the brand names Church’s Chicken, Cinnabon, Chicken & Biscuits, Popeyes, Seattle’s Best Coffee and Torrefazione Italian Coffee.
History of AFC Company
