About Us

The Popeyes story began in New Orleans back in 1972, when Al Copeland opened a quick-service restaurant called “Chicken on the Run,” selling traditional mild fried chicken to the downtown lunch crowd. But business was slow, and Copeland realized that he’d have to develop a spicier alternative to his standard chicken recipe if he wanted to impress flavor-seeking New Orleanians.

Experimenting with the flavorful Cajun recipes he’d been enjoying all his life, Copeland developed a new menu, reopened his restaurant – now called “Popeyes”- and soon had customers lining up around the block for his spicy New Orleans-style fried chicken.

While visiting Louisiana, Kal Uezu got a chance to flavor Copeland’s famous chicken. One taste and he was hooked. He felt that the people of Hawaii would love the Cajun flavors that Popeyes’ featured. On March 27, 1979 Kal opened the first Popeyes in Hawaii on Keeaumoku Avenue. Unfortunately the entire area was cleared and the store was closed. Fortunately you can still get that same great New Orleans flavor at the Popeyes Restaurant in Mililani, Kalihi, Waipahu, Kapahulu, and Navy Exchange Mall.