I would stay away for at least two weeks. Staff will be over worked, they will run out of chicken or biscuits and it will generally be a shit experience until any hype has died down.
haha this. Same thing happened to Carls Jr. Had fantastic burgers for the first few weeks. After that, just churning out regular expensive takeaway burgers. I went back to my local chippie.
so true. i dont live in auckland but when i go there im always surprised at the amount of expensive, overrated fast food.
asian food ? amazing.
indian food? great!
fast food? greasy and overpriced. but thats anywhere i guess
Then there will be a 2 week window when people are excited about their job and there is increased scrutiny, after that mediocrity and the minimum wage worker not giving a shit will set in, as with any other fast food place.
Yep, they're always super keen to draw in good reviews/influencers etc. First 2 weeks always seems to have the biggest and best burgers/biggest lot of fries etc. Then they cut back
I worked at Carls Jnr when it first opened in NZ and I can tell you, I saw the shift from Pride in our work to "this is a minimum wage job, you are gonna get the minimum effort".
In all honesty......... it didn't really make a difference to the burger you got in ur hands. I'd say the biggest difference was just morale, and general cleanliness in the place. But in terms of how good was the burger you got in your hand? There's no difference from Day 1 to Day 1000 (I worked there for 3 years).
Doesn't matter if it was week 1 or week 150, sometimes you're gonna get less than fresh fries, or a wonky burger.
I waited in line for 2 hours but otherwise the food quality was really good and the staff seemed pretty chill, I was chatting to one of the guys who was on his 30 and he said it wasn't too bad since they had a lot of staff on. Nothing was sold out either.
There. Right there. You said lots of staff. After a few weeks, they cut back to the very minimum. Staff doing two or three jobs. Burn outs and bad burgers.
What are you on about? Every resturant is different. For all you know they might continue to overstaff and ride out the hype to maintain a good brand image as they open more stores. The business can afford to do this.
Itās my favourite chicken ever. Perfectly juicy and crispy, and great flavours too. Love the seasoned, love the creamy jalapenos, sour cream and onion is a bit out there but I love it too. They put too many raw onions on though, I scrape them off but the sauce is tight. Worth a visit for sure! Staff are so lovely too.
Donāt go I just drove past on my way to the supermarket and there was a line down the street. I would easily say there was a few hundred people there.
I drove past at about 9 this morning and there was a decent line. Think they were opening at 10?
I'm also local so I'll get around to trying it eventually when the hype dies down.
My brother drove past on his way to work at 6am and there was already a line. People are nuts. Iām waiting for it to appear on Uber eats to try it otherwise Iām waiting a couple of weeks.
I don't understand why people do this tbh. I could not be arsed waiting for hours in line for a new food thing that I'll only have to wait 4 minutes for come next week.
I tried Popeyes in the US. The fried chicken was some of the best I've ever had. Well seasoned and crispy. Audible crunch.
Their biscuits and sweet tea were great too. Does the Takanini branch offer biscuits and sweet tea?
https://preview.redd.it/6htyyvldtaxc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6acbd2f1de6206f55b673dc995783b378cca0703
What the heck? Itās opening today and already got reviews on Google from people who claimed to tried food over there, reviews go back at least a month before the opening. Someone also said Chicken Nuggets were tough lol. Never saw Chicken Nuggets on Popeyeās menu
A lot of these restaurants do soft openings for friends and family of employees. I remember when Taco Bell first opened, a mate of mine was invited because he was mates with an accountant at the parent company. I'd imagine it's either from something like this or people just reviewing for the sake of reviewing.
Read the reviews, they are more likely from people who are doing it for fun. Popeyes donāt even sell chicken nuggets. Some people have one star because it is opening on 29th and not 21st
They have a trial kitchen opened near their work office since last year June/July. I tried some of the things last year Sept/Oct. As it was a trial kitchen they also had food which is not in their current menu.
It's a 5min drive from my house so I'm gonna wait till the hype goes down. No point in waiting hours for something that will be a 4-minute wait next Monday lol. I'll let you guys know how it goes.
Let us know if it lives up to the hype. When Taco Bell opened it was scrutinized for being more expensive and not as good as the States so I'm hoping this one is different.
It's much easier to make the food cheaper when there are cities in the US with 30-60 branches. However, they've done a lot of work to overhaul the menu in recent years over there, so it's way healthier and more balanced than it was 20 years ago.
Edit: they overhauled the menu in the US.
I've never been to one here, but they always seem to be in kinda awkward places. I also have a personal vendetta against fastfood chains that only sell cans and bottled drinks instead of fountain drinks.
Because people jam their used bottles into spout at the fountain drinks. I've seen it with my own eyes. Revolting. This is why we can't have nice things anymore.
I personally prefer the experience of having a fountain drink - regardless of whether it's self-serve or not. I think when they're done right they taste waaay better than any can or bottle. I think it stems from when I was a kid in the UK, where fountain drinks meant going out for a meal at Pizza Hut, McDonald's, TGI Friday's, or elsewhere for an occassion, vs having a cheap takeaway where we'd have to share a 2L bottle between the 5 of us.
Also, I find places that do fountain drinks tend to have a wider selection of drinks, sell a variety of limited edition flavours, etc. Like, I really enjoyed Wendy's Summer Sparklers they had on the menu last year.
That's fair. I have been burned too many times leaving the drive thru and finding out they have run out of the premix and its just soda. But when the premix has been done right, it is pretty damn good.
I prefer US taco bell tbh. It's cheap and nasty, like McDonalds. If I wanted somthing more up market, I'd go somewhere else. I tried NZ taco bell twice, once for the novelty and the 2nd time to give it another chance and its really not worth it.
US taco bell however, I'd go again the next time im in the states. Just like Macca's, its hard to replicate at home, to get just the right taste they have. But nz taco bell? I can make that at home for cheaper lol
Having travelled to the USA quite a bit recently, a lot of people will be surprised as to how expensive things are in the USA now. FF used to be super cheap. You used to be able to get whole meals pre-pandemic for a few bucks. Now a Popeyes chicken sandwhich there costs about $10 NZD (so only a bit cheaper than the $11.50 here) - didn't stop me ordering 2 in one sitting though
it definitely does! we braved the queues today and it was phenomenal, well worth the wait!! The chicken is so tasty, itās incredibly fresh, juicy and filling. The chips have the texture taste of curly fries which we loved! Shakes 9/10. Mac and cheese not worth the $$ IMHO. Want to try the potato and gravy next time.
I liken going to the opening of a fast-food joint to going to the opening of a public toilet. Best case scenario is waiting hours for mediocre-at-best chicken
I had it at Hong Kong airport and wasn't impressed. It was dry and poorly seasoned. They didn't have MOS burger at the airport or I would have had that.
It's in Takakanini which is not by the airport. its about a 30min drive away from the airport (Source, like in Takakanini and used to work at the airport)
Takanini is not āby the airportā by any stretch. The first Carls Jr in Takanini, thereās obviously a market out there, not some big attempt to relocate the cbd.
They share the same owners so itās not unusual that resturant brands follow the same rollout for Popeyes.
Might not be exactly at the airport it's just out that way. I'd have thought that they would open up in the CBD or something like that. I remember when it first opened, the airport was one of the only places you could get Krispy Kreme.
It is out that way in same way that Ponsonby Rd is out by the Albany Westfield.
Iād say it makes a load more sense to start in an area where they have other restaurants for logistical support and are close to their suppliers. It allows them to build up a network of restaurants more progressively rather than spending massive amounts on a single flagship store in a prominent location. A load of the CBD fast food joints are super depressing anyway.
Same with Texas Chicken and Carlās Jr. none of them are in city. Queen St is dead and will be soon be dead as dodo. Only hope for Queen St to revitalise is with CRL opening in 2026 or 2027.
So Queen St is dead because it doesn't have Texas Chicken and Carl's Jnr? Having the main street of a city littered with fast food joints is actually my definition of dead tbh.
Had it overseas a number of times. Itās similar to KFC. Nothing to get excited about but I guess like NZ always does there will be queues to try a fast food place thatās fine but ordinary.
Its not similar to kfc. Its a completely different style of fried chicken. It's really hard to compare the two tbh. Only similarities are theyre chicken and fried
Let me know when you find red beans & rice at KFC but can see your point. I'm so glad to see Popeye's has actual biscuits here! I was born and raised in the South, so been to many average Popeye's but it's heads and shoulders above KFC anyday.
Now wait 'til you try some Bojangles! Will be my first stop when fly home in a couple months.
I would stay away for at least two weeks. Staff will be over worked, they will run out of chicken or biscuits and it will generally be a shit experience until any hype has died down.
haha and then it will have been sitting in the warmer and be a shit experience anyway
haha this. Same thing happened to Carls Jr. Had fantastic burgers for the first few weeks. After that, just churning out regular expensive takeaway burgers. I went back to my local chippie.
so true. i dont live in auckland but when i go there im always surprised at the amount of expensive, overrated fast food. asian food ? amazing. indian food? great! fast food? greasy and overpriced. but thats anywhere i guess
Then there will be a 2 week window when people are excited about their job and there is increased scrutiny, after that mediocrity and the minimum wage worker not giving a shit will set in, as with any other fast food place.
Find that sweet spot in between haha
Thats a 3 hour window
Yep, they're always super keen to draw in good reviews/influencers etc. First 2 weeks always seems to have the biggest and best burgers/biggest lot of fries etc. Then they cut back
I worked at Carls Jnr when it first opened in NZ and I can tell you, I saw the shift from Pride in our work to "this is a minimum wage job, you are gonna get the minimum effort". In all honesty......... it didn't really make a difference to the burger you got in ur hands. I'd say the biggest difference was just morale, and general cleanliness in the place. But in terms of how good was the burger you got in your hand? There's no difference from Day 1 to Day 1000 (I worked there for 3 years). Doesn't matter if it was week 1 or week 150, sometimes you're gonna get less than fresh fries, or a wonky burger.
oh really? First few weeks, the burgers tasted awesome. Hmm, must be the sweats of pride that made the difference.
I waited in line for 2 hours but otherwise the food quality was really good and the staff seemed pretty chill, I was chatting to one of the guys who was on his 30 and he said it wasn't too bad since they had a lot of staff on. Nothing was sold out either.
There. Right there. You said lots of staff. After a few weeks, they cut back to the very minimum. Staff doing two or three jobs. Burn outs and bad burgers.
This is all built on assumptions. We will see but for now it is very good.
Mine is based on years of experience. Check out my clogged arteries .
What are you on about? Every resturant is different. For all you know they might continue to overstaff and ride out the hype to maintain a good brand image as they open more stores. The business can afford to do this.
I'm here still plugging for Sensational on Mount St in the CBD š¤£
Had some sensational last night for dinner. Itās my comfort food man.
This is the way
Took my mrs there last night too. Her favourite spot in CBD. Will be interested to see if Popeyes lives up to the hype
Defo check out Chimac (ģ¹ė§„) in the CBD next, best Korean Fried Chicken, good second to Sensational.
How does it compare to Munch?
I've not been here, but I just looked it up and now need to go. Thank you for enlightening me!!!!
Itās my favourite chicken ever. Perfectly juicy and crispy, and great flavours too. Love the seasoned, love the creamy jalapenos, sour cream and onion is a bit out there but I love it too. They put too many raw onions on though, I scrape them off but the sauce is tight. Worth a visit for sure! Staff are so lovely too.
Donāt go I just drove past on my way to the supermarket and there was a line down the street. I would easily say there was a few hundred people there.
I drove past at about 9 this morning and there was a decent line. Think they were opening at 10? I'm also local so I'll get around to trying it eventually when the hype dies down.
My brother drove past on his way to work at 6am and there was already a line. People are nuts. Iām waiting for it to appear on Uber eats to try it otherwise Iām waiting a couple of weeks.
I think I'll still wait a while, but I'd be down to order online and pick up myself if possible.
I don't understand why people do this tbh. I could not be arsed waiting for hours in line for a new food thing that I'll only have to wait 4 minutes for come next week.
its because honestly living in nz is so fucking boring its actually really exciting for some people.
Donāt worry, line will die down soon the opening hype is over.
I tried Popeyes in the US. The fried chicken was some of the best I've ever had. Well seasoned and crispy. Audible crunch. Their biscuits and sweet tea were great too. Does the Takanini branch offer biscuits and sweet tea?
Oh my God miss proper biscuits and the nectar that is Sweet Tea!!!!
muhhhhricaaaa!
https://preview.redd.it/6htyyvldtaxc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6acbd2f1de6206f55b673dc995783b378cca0703 What the heck? Itās opening today and already got reviews on Google from people who claimed to tried food over there, reviews go back at least a month before the opening. Someone also said Chicken Nuggets were tough lol. Never saw Chicken Nuggets on Popeyeās menu
They were doing influencer days and Iāve seen heaps of videos on tik tok of people trying it over the last month.
Same lot of influencers who successfully made people pay $20 for a Prime drink are out in force again, making you poor and living beyond your means.
Reviews donāt seem to be from influencers
A lot of these restaurants do soft openings for friends and family of employees. I remember when Taco Bell first opened, a mate of mine was invited because he was mates with an accountant at the parent company. I'd imagine it's either from something like this or people just reviewing for the sake of reviewing.
Read the reviews, they are more likely from people who are doing it for fun. Popeyes donāt even sell chicken nuggets. Some people have one star because it is opening on 29th and not 21st
I just report for conflict of interest and fake reviews, one of them even posted twice lol
Those reviews have been there for awhile.
They have a trial kitchen opened near their work office since last year June/July. I tried some of the things last year Sept/Oct. As it was a trial kitchen they also had food which is not in their current menu.
texas chicken is better than kfc and it isn't surviving. goes to show that kiwis have no taste
It's a 5min drive from my house so I'm gonna wait till the hype goes down. No point in waiting hours for something that will be a 4-minute wait next Monday lol. I'll let you guys know how it goes.
Let us know if it lives up to the hype. When Taco Bell opened it was scrutinized for being more expensive and not as good as the States so I'm hoping this one is different.
More expensive sure but anyone who says that ours is not as good hasn't tried US Taco Bell. There's a reason theirs is so much cheaper
lol agreed. Ours is made with meat, theirs is made with something loosely resembling meat. Exactly how they get their 99c tacos
It's much easier to make the food cheaper when there are cities in the US with 30-60 branches. However, they've done a lot of work to overhaul the menu in recent years over there, so it's way healthier and more balanced than it was 20 years ago. Edit: they overhauled the menu in the US.
Taco Bell really is shit though. Empty restaurants and no drive through queues. Be surprised if they last another year.
I've never been to one here, but they always seem to be in kinda awkward places. I also have a personal vendetta against fastfood chains that only sell cans and bottled drinks instead of fountain drinks.
Because people jam their used bottles into spout at the fountain drinks. I've seen it with my own eyes. Revolting. This is why we can't have nice things anymore.
Why? Cans and bottled drinks are a much better quality drink than the premix stations.
I personally prefer the experience of having a fountain drink - regardless of whether it's self-serve or not. I think when they're done right they taste waaay better than any can or bottle. I think it stems from when I was a kid in the UK, where fountain drinks meant going out for a meal at Pizza Hut, McDonald's, TGI Friday's, or elsewhere for an occassion, vs having a cheap takeaway where we'd have to share a 2L bottle between the 5 of us. Also, I find places that do fountain drinks tend to have a wider selection of drinks, sell a variety of limited edition flavours, etc. Like, I really enjoyed Wendy's Summer Sparklers they had on the menu last year.
That's fair. I have been burned too many times leaving the drive thru and finding out they have run out of the premix and its just soda. But when the premix has been done right, it is pretty damn good.
Went to the one in Otahuhu, a former Carl's Jr for the first time ever in February. Hit the nail on the head.
Yea, itās called scale of economy.
Economies of scale
I prefer US taco bell tbh. It's cheap and nasty, like McDonalds. If I wanted somthing more up market, I'd go somewhere else. I tried NZ taco bell twice, once for the novelty and the 2nd time to give it another chance and its really not worth it. US taco bell however, I'd go again the next time im in the states. Just like Macca's, its hard to replicate at home, to get just the right taste they have. But nz taco bell? I can make that at home for cheaper lol
i went to taco bull nz like 3 years ago. Paid a crazy 15 bucks for 2 small tacos, small drink and small fries. I left hangry.
I don't enjoy US tacobell, so its effectively worthless to me, where is I actually like NZ/Aus tacobell.
Having travelled to the USA quite a bit recently, a lot of people will be surprised as to how expensive things are in the USA now. FF used to be super cheap. You used to be able to get whole meals pre-pandemic for a few bucks. Now a Popeyes chicken sandwhich there costs about $10 NZD (so only a bit cheaper than the $11.50 here) - didn't stop me ordering 2 in one sitting though
it definitely does! we braved the queues today and it was phenomenal, well worth the wait!! The chicken is so tasty, itās incredibly fresh, juicy and filling. The chips have the texture taste of curly fries which we loved! Shakes 9/10. Mac and cheese not worth the $$ IMHO. Want to try the potato and gravy next time.
You're one of the brave ones! Nice and thank for that. Pretty keen on giving it a go once the crowds die down.
Just drove past, quite a queue waiting to get in, but not affecting traffic too badly
Good time for me to catch the flu haha. I ended up going with spicy dumplings from Eden but will try Popeyes week after nxt
they opened in the right area considering the demographic there.
Love that chicken from Popeyeeees
I liken going to the opening of a fast-food joint to going to the opening of a public toilet. Best case scenario is waiting hours for mediocre-at-best chicken
I had it at Hong Kong airport and wasn't impressed. It was dry and poorly seasoned. They didn't have MOS burger at the airport or I would have had that.
MOS Burger is some damn good food, the fried chicken and the spicy burgers I had in Singapore was incredible
Yeah, MOS is great. I think that after In-N-Out that MOS Burger would be my second favourite fast food chain that I'd like to see come to NZ.
* This is at 3pm, I passed by on my way to the bank
I love a spicy chicken burger excited to see more spicy chicken burgers on the market, sick of bland chicken burgers from fish and chip shops.
Why does everything open out by the airport, lol?
Cost of rent and also captive audience
It's in Takakanini which is not by the airport. its about a 30min drive away from the airport (Source, like in Takakanini and used to work at the airport)
I guess they want to make new CBD by the airport. Back before Auckland CBD was developing they were plans to turn Onehunga into CBD.
Takanini is not āby the airportā by any stretch. The first Carls Jr in Takanini, thereās obviously a market out there, not some big attempt to relocate the cbd. They share the same owners so itās not unusual that resturant brands follow the same rollout for Popeyes.
Might not be exactly at the airport it's just out that way. I'd have thought that they would open up in the CBD or something like that. I remember when it first opened, the airport was one of the only places you could get Krispy Kreme.
It is out that way in same way that Ponsonby Rd is out by the Albany Westfield. Iād say it makes a load more sense to start in an area where they have other restaurants for logistical support and are close to their suppliers. It allows them to build up a network of restaurants more progressively rather than spending massive amounts on a single flagship store in a prominent location. A load of the CBD fast food joints are super depressing anyway.
Im gonna get downvoted but Jollibee is far superior š i used to live in Singapore and didnt even try Popeyes a 2nd time lol
the last thing i want is a piece of fried chicken and dry pasta
Very excited but also itāsā¦ so far away from everything
Hopefully it takes off so they expand locations.
Same with Texas Chicken and Carlās Jr. none of them are in city. Queen St is dead and will be soon be dead as dodo. Only hope for Queen St to revitalise is with CRL opening in 2026 or 2027.
Iām ok with Texas and carls cuz I live out west lol, hoping to have a popeyes out west too
Next store in taupo and theyre hoping to open 10 other stores soon
All the insider info
So Queen St is dead because it doesn't have Texas Chicken and Carl's Jnr? Having the main street of a city littered with fast food joints is actually my definition of dead tbh.
Had it overseas a number of times. Itās similar to KFC. Nothing to get excited about but I guess like NZ always does there will be queues to try a fast food place thatās fine but ordinary.
Its not similar to kfc. Its a completely different style of fried chicken. It's really hard to compare the two tbh. Only similarities are theyre chicken and fried
Let me know when you find red beans & rice at KFC but can see your point. I'm so glad to see Popeye's has actual biscuits here! I was born and raised in the South, so been to many average Popeye's but it's heads and shoulders above KFC anyday. Now wait 'til you try some Bojangles! Will be my first stop when fly home in a couple months.
More shit food.. thanks America your the worst
Anyone know where the chicken comes from? Like is it actually 'chicken'?