Popeyes Celebrates 50 Years By Bringing Back A Menu Favorite

Popeyes is commemorating its 50th anniversary by bringing back one of its beloved menu favorites – Cajun Rice.

The Cajun Rice, formerly known as Rice Dressing, is made with Cajun and creole seasonings mixed with a series of ingredients such as bell peppers, onions, garlic, celery, and cayenne.

This side dish was discontinued by Popeyes in 2021, but fans begged the chain to bring it back, the company said.

The Cajun Rice will be available at restaurants starting on Tuesday for a limited time.

In addition to bringing back the Cajun Rice, Popeyes is offering a chicken deal for customers to celebrate its golden anniversary with five pieces for $6.99.

“Year after year, Popeyes dedicated itself to ensuring the love, time, and traditions that went into making its fried chicken in 1972 remain the same today,” Amy Alarcon, vice president of Culinary Innovation, said in a statement.

“We have stayed constant in our craft of making great chicken by marinating for 12 hours and hand battering and hand breading our signature chicken in our kitchens around the world. This love of the food is what has given Popeyes fried chicken its signature crunch for 50 years,” she added.

Popeyes was founded in 1972 in New Orleans by Al Copeland. The chain was acquired by Restaurant Brands International (QSR) in 2017, growing from $3 billion to $5 billion in global sales in five years.

The chicken chain has more than 3,700 restaurants located around the world and expects to open 200 more in 2022 in the U.S. and Canada, with new market expansions planned for South Korea, France, India, and Romania.

As of Tuesday at 10:27 a.m. ET, shares of Restaurant Brands International were trading at $47.99, up 74 cents or 1.56%.