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MANILA -- Filipino casual dining chain Kuya J is developing the US fastfood chain Popeyes in the Philippines.



The 2 firms, in a press statement released through Business Newswire, announced Friday an exclusive master franchise agreement to grow the Popeyes brand locally.

"We are proud to partner with Popeyes to launch and develop this great brand in the Philippines," said Kuya J Group chairman Lowell Yu as quoted by Business Newswire.

"The Philippines is a large and growing market, and we are looking forward to serving the high-quality food that Popeyes offers to the country’s more than 100 million people," he added.

Popeyes, meanwhile, is confident that it will "resonate well with guests in the Philippines," its president Alexandre Santoro said in the same statement.

"Our partner, Kuya J Group, brings years of local expertise and a keen understanding of consumers in the Philippines," he added.

Kuya J Group offers popular Filipino dishes like crispy pata, grilled scallops, bulalo, sisig and roast chicken. It has grown to 100 branches in just 2 years after its launch.

The group also owns and operates concept stores Isla Sugbu Seafood City, Tsay Cheng Chinese Cuisine, Majestic, and the heritage Grand Convention Center of Cebu among others, said Businesswire.



Popeyes, meanwhile, was founded in New Orleans in 1972. Its menu features spicy chicken, chicken tenders, fried shrimp, and other regional items.

With some 2,900 restaurants in the US and around the world, Popeyes is among the world’s largest chicken quick service chains.

The fastfood chain of poultry firm Vitarich group was previously granted a franchise to develop and operate the Popeyes Chicken restaurants in the Philippines.

American franchiser AFC Enterprises Inc., however, allegedly terminated the development agreement for unspecified reasons, prompting the local company to sue the franchiser for damages in 2001, a Philippine Star report said.



Last year, Popeyes was acquired by Restaurant Brands International Inc., which also owns Burger King and Tim Hortons.