OAKVILLE, Ont. — Restaurant Brands International is set to acquire the Popeyes fried chicken chain under a deal announced Tuesday worth US$1.8 billion. Here's a quick look at the two fast-food companies:
Popeyes:
Founded: New Orleans, 1972
Operations: More than 2,600 restaurants in the U.S., Canada and two dozen other countries
Interesting Fact: When the first restaurant opened, it was called Chicken on the Run. After several months, it was renamed Popeyes after the detective in the 1971 film "The French Connection," played by Gene Hackman.
———
Restaurant Brands International:
Founded: Oakville, Ont., 2014, with the merger of Tim Hortons and Burger King (Tim Hortons founded in 1964, Burger King founded in 1954)
Operations: More than 20,000 restaurants, including 15,700 Burger Kings and 4,600 Tim Hortons cafes, in more than 100 countries and U.S. territories
Interesting Fact: When NHL star Tim Horton opened the first Tim Hortons in Hamilton, coffee and donuts cost 10 cents each.
(Sources: Restaurant Brands International, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen)
The Canadian Press
