May 15, 2020
Friday morning, China’s flagship Popeyes Chicken location, the company’s first store in the country opened and social distancing didn’t mean a damn thing.
Lines stretched close to 1,000 ft. long, with about 1,500 people in line, however, there were no physical altercations or verbal arguments that took place. Social distancing of maintaining a reasonable distance was not obeyed and prompted local government officials to release a safety notice.
“We advise people to reasonably arrange their time, wear masks, and maintain social distancing, or else just choose another day to visit the restaurant.”
Lines like these are not surprising. American chicken franchises like Kentucky Fried Chicken have always done well in Asia, especially in China. KFC has over 5,600 locations in China alone, controlling an 11.6% market share in the country; double that of McDonald’s. For reference, there are only 3,987 KFC locations in the United States. At one point in the 2010s, KFC was opening a new location in China every 18 hours.
Feature Images via Shanghaiist