The Lowdown: Wings & Rings
Well, as the Beyoncé song goes, if you like it then put a wing on it…
Hmm, I think you may have misheard. But it’s an apt reference given that Popeyes did famously cater Beyoncé and Jay Z’s wedding. And now, following what it describes as ‘significant demand’, the US fried chicken brand is offering its wedding catering service to couples across the UK for the first time.
Sounds great – guessing they do hen parties too?
Very funny, but it’s just the big day itself as far as we know. Dubbed Wings & Rings, the new service opened for enquires earlier this week, taking bookings from now until the end of 2024, and enquiries can be made via the Popeyes website for nearly-weds across the UK.
How’s it going to work logistically, given that Popeyes currently only has a limited presence in the UK?
Good question. Popeyes tell us that the wedding location must be within a 30-minute drive of a Popeyes UK restaurant or delivery kitchen in order to guarantee the quality of its products. The group operates close to 20 restaurants across the country presently and has a fair few dark kitchens too, so the geographical scope is likely to be greater than you might think. Plus, it’s expanding all the time, with Popeyes hoping to operate up to 350 UK sites by the early 2030s.
And how much will it cost?
Popeyes says it will work out individual packages on a case-by-case basis depending on the number of guests at each wedding, but adds that orders are limited to a maximum of 150 chicken sandwiches and 150 hot wings per order. For context, a classic chicken sandwich costs £5.99, and a portion of four hot wings is £4.25; so, by the standards of normal wedding catering costs, which are reported to have sky-rocketed in recent years, it’s likely to be poultry sum by comparison (ahem). For those couples looking to save as much as possible, though, it’s probably worth mentioning that to celebrate the launch of Wings & Rings, Popeyes is even offering one chicken-mad couple the chance to win their wedding catered for free, as well as a year’s supply of chicken sandwiches.
Holy cluck! That sounds like a great deal. But what if I’m not into fried chicken; are there any other fast-food joints I can hire to cater my wedding?
At present your choices over here are limited. McDonald’s did launch its own wedding catering service earlier this year in Indonesia, which offered 100 chicken burgers and 100 boxes of McNuggets or 100 cheeseburgers and 100 chicken fingers for a fixed price of the equivalent of £185. It’s understood that the service could be rolled out in other countries too, including the UK, if it’s successful. In the US, meanwhile, there are a number of QSR chains that offer wedding packages. They include Taco Bell, which not only offers to cater your nuptials with platters of tacos, nachos and burritos, but also offers its most diehard fans the opportunity to hold their wedding at one of its locations in Las Vegas. And for those after an alternative to Popeyes, there’s always Chick-Fil-A, which offers catering packages for numerous events across the US, including weddings. Just bear in mind when planning that, given the staunchly religious views of its founder, there’ll be no availability on Sundays.
