Reddit Wants This Chicken Chain Buffet To Make A Comeback

For those seeking classic Southern comfort food served hot, fresh, and fast, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen is a godsend. It's the second-highest-grossing chicken chain in the United States (coming in just behind Chick-fil-A, which takes the number one spot) and boasts more than 3,000 locations across the country. Once upon a time, some of those locations included all-you-can-eat buffets — talk about a chicken lover's heaven. 

As reported by Hot 107.9, there were at least three Popeyes buffet locations left as of 2010. By 2021, the only one still open was in Lafayette, Louisiana, but it announced its closure at the end of that year. It seemed to be yet another restaurant casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic, and one many wish would make a comeback. As one Redditor put it, "Some would say I'm a Popeyes addict, I prefer the term Popeyes connoisseur! An all-you-can-eat Popeyes buffet sounds like a dream."

A number of Popeyes fans have taken to social media platforms like Reddit to reminisce about the chain's bygone buffets. "I grew up in the city that had the last buffet. When I tell you I was devastated when they announced they were closing, I'm not exaggerating," wrote u/mightdelete_later in a thread about the distinguished outpost on r/Popeyes. "[That] buffet was my Friday lunch throwdown. That grease hangover was no joke for the rest of the day, but ... I should have gone back over there one last time before it closed," remarked another Redditor on r/NewOrleans. 

Located on Pinhook and South College in Lafayette, Louisiana, the last remaining holdout of the Popeyes buffet was a fan favorite, and even a go-to of none other than Anthony Bourdain (his guilty pleasure was the fast food chain's mac and cheese). The buffet's 2021 closure led to a Change.org petition, which garnered more than 2,300 signatures in support of a comeback. Unfortunately, Popeyes has made no official announcements regarding its return. So, what was this magical spot really like? According to reports, it stocked spicy and mild fried chicken, along with beloved sides like biscuits, fries, red beans and rice, mashed potatoes, and gravy. In 2017, Popeyes' all-you-can-eat buffet would run diners around $10 and came with a drink. Even in 2010s dollars, that was an amazing deal.

Redditors who recalled visiting the buffet said it also offered outstanding breakfast and seafood items. "My grandfather's mechanic shop was next door ... The mechanics would take me to the buffet, and in the morning, they had blueberry biscuits. Blueberry Popeyes biscuits. Those were the days," recalled one user. "When I was a kid, we went to a Popeyes near New Orleans that had a buffet. It had some great stuff like broiled seafood and cheese served on a scallop shell," another Redditor added in a r/fastfood thread. No wonder folks came from far and wide to experience it, like the Redditor who wrote, "A friend and I made a special trip for the buffet a couple years ago. It was indeed awesome."