TH International (Tims China), the exclusive operator of Tim Hortons coffee shops and Popeyes restaurants in China, has announced the opening of a new Popeyes store in Shanghai.  

This is the company’s tenth Popeyes outlet in the region.  

The latest opening follows Tims China’s acquisition of the exclusive rights to operate and franchise Popeyes in mainland China and Macau in March 2023.  

Tims China has tailored the Popeyes brand to the Chinese market, with more than 150,000 pieces of its original American crispy chicken sold. 

The first flagship Popeyes restaurant in Shanghai, which opened in August 2023, showcased a localised menu fusing Cajun traditions with Chinese flavours. Items included sweet chilli chicken, a Longjing tea-based pomelo milkshake and golden cheese, along with Popeyes’ signature items such as New Orleans-style spicy chicken and Louisiana-style seafood. 

The company aims to open a further 500 stores in China in the five years up to 2028 and 1,700 stores in the decade up to 2033.

Tims China CEO Yongchen Lu said: “We are excited to reach this key milestone in four months. Between our Popeyes and Tim Hortons stores, we now operate 919 stores across China.  

“We have seen a strong demand from our customers for our innovative products from both brands, and we are confident that this demand has a lot of room to grow even further from here.” 

Popeyes, founded in New Orleans in 1972, is a chicken quick service restaurant operating 4,100 restaurants in the US and globally.  

It specialises in a New Orleans-style menu with items such as spicy chicken and fried shrimp.  

TH International is the parent company of the exclusive master franchisees of Tim Hortons in Hong Kong, mainland China and Macau, along with Popeyes in mainland China and Macau.  

Tims China was established by the Cartesian Capital Group and Restaurant Brands International’s subsidiary Tim Hortons Restaurants International.