Megan Thee Franchisee

Shaq. Jimmy Buffett. Venus Williams. Mark Wahlberg. What do all these people have in common? Sure, they’re all incredibly famous with an impressive list of accomplishments, but their true uniting characteristic — one that not all celebrities can boast on their resumes — comes in the form of two words: franchise owner. Celebrities and franchising have gone together well for decades — the franchisor provides a proven pathway to business ownership, and the celebrity offers powerful influence and heightened brand exposure. Now, celebrity collaborations are making a big comeback in the QSR space, and most recently, Megan Thee Stallion has officially joined the time-honored list of celebrity franchisees thanks to a multi-pronged partnership with the one-and-only Popeyes. 

1851 Franchise spoke with members of the Popeyes leadership team to learn more about what it was like working with the famed singer of “Hot Girl Summer,” hear about what went on behind the scenes and get some insight into the strategy behind the industry’s latest celebrity partnership.

Pop Stars, Popeyes and Poultry

When the collaboration was announced earlier this month, the fried chicken concept, part of Restaurant Brands International, detailed a whole slew of plans, including a new hot sauce called Megan Thee Stallion Hottie Sauce, a co-branded merch line, a charitable donation and a multi-unit franchise development deal. 

So, what was it like putting all of this together with one of the biggest names in pop music? Sami Siddiqui, president of Popeyes, said it was a true partnership, with Megan and her team heavily involved in the initiative every step of the way.

“We really appreciated Megan’s desire to create a partnership that went above and beyond a typical celebrity collaboration,” said Siddiqui. “Her authentic love for the brand really came through as we built multiple layers of the partnership together — from developing the Hottie Sauce alongside our culinary team, to welcoming her into the Popeyes family as a franchisee, to creating not just one, but three different drops as part of a merch collection — she was just as dedicated as we were to ensuring this partnership stood out amongst the rest.”

The most exciting aspect of the partnership for the average consumer is likely the Megan Thee Stallion Hottie Sauce, which became available October 19 in Popeyes’ more than 3,400 restaurants in the U.S. and 14 countries around the world. It’s Popeyes’ first-ever global partnership and the first time the company will release a new variation of the wildly popular chicken sandwich it introduced in 2019. The sauce will also be available with the brand’s chicken nuggets. 

Fans are also likely eager for the Popeyes x Megan Thee Stallion merchandise collection, which will feature three releases, with the first being a collection of bikinis, long-sleeve shirts, hats, tumblers and Popeyes chicken tenders dog toys. 

The partnership also includes a philanthropic component. Popeyes and the musician will make “a six-figure donation to Houston Random Acts of Kindness, whose mission is to promote empathy and compassion while encouraging selfless concern for the welfare of others in the Houston community,” the company said in the press release.

From Freestyling to Franchising

While the new hot sauce and merch may be what consumers are looking forward to the most, the multi-unit development deal is likely the aspect of the Megan Thee Stallion partnership that stands out the most for those in the franchise world, as it isn’t everyday that a celebrity commits to opening a location of their own. Popeyes isn’t disclosing where Megan Thee Stallion will develop her restaurants yet, or a timeline for the first opening.

“I’m appreciative of Popeyes commitment to empowering Black women and look forward to opening Popeyes restaurants,” said Megan Thee Stallion in a statement. “Teaming up with Popeyes is such a milestone in my journey and evolution as an entrepreneur.”

Popeyes vice president of franchise operations Leandro Gasparin said Megan was equally involved throughout the franchisee onboarding process.

“In the same way she got into the kitchen and helped us make the hot sauce, she also learned all about the business and decided to become an owner,” said Gasparin. “We have a lot in common with Megan Thee Stallion — from our southern roots, to our shared love for flavor with a lot of spice, she embodies the proud, spirited, joyful and big-hearted personality we embrace with our food and heritage.”

Why Restaurant Franchisors Have Been Partnering With Influencers Lately

The announcement follows a series of celebrity partnerships that have swept the franchise world over the past year as QSR brands look to appeal to a younger demographic and boost sales following the COVID-19 pandemic. 

McDonald’s, for example, unveiled its Travis Scott meal last fall, followed by collaborations with reggaeton singer J Balvin, K-pop group BTS and rapper Saweetie. The Travis Scott meal became so popular, it inspired a TikTok trend where diners played the rapper's song "Sicko Mode" at the drive-thru to order the meal. In response, McDonald's even sent a memo to franchisees informing them on common catchphrases used for the video trend to ensure they could accommodate customers. 

Taco Bell also recently announced plans to work with singer and rapper Lil Nas X, giving him the honorary title of “chief impact officer.” TikTok star Charli D’Amelio gave Dunkin’ 294 million free video impressions in under two months simply by expressing her love for the brand. When the brand created a cold-brew tap named after D’Amelio, Dunkin’ saw a 20% sales boost for all cold brews the day the drink debuted and a 45% surge the next day.

The Megan Thee Stallion and Popeyes collaboration notably stands out from these recent partnerships due to the singer’s personal development deal, but she is not the first celebrity to try their hands at actual franchise ownership. Other notable examples include Shaq with Papa John’s, Jimmy Buffet with Krispy Kreme and Venus Williams with Jamba Juice. 

What the Partnership Means for Popeyes’ Future

Over the past two years, Popeyes has proven to be uniquely resilient against the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The momentum of the brand’s juggernaut chicken sandwich was combined with a wide availability of drive-thrus and a robust digital platform that helped the brand sustain the pandemic better than most. 

Overall, Popeyes’ sales grew 17% in 2020 to $5.1 billion, according to the recently released Franchise Times Top 400, which also ranked the fried chicken concept as No. 19 on its list of the largest U.S franchise brands by global systemwide sales.

Now, Siddiqui said the Megan Thee Stallion partnership marks another big milestone for the brand as it continues its upward trajectory as one of the world’s favorite chains and looks to expand its footprint through franchising.

“This partnership is yet another example of how Popeyes continues to be at the forefront of innovation and pop culture, which is one reason why Popeyes is on track to become one of the great global QSR brands,” said Siddiqui. “Beyond exciting our guests with a celebrity partnership, we know this kind of partnership and new menu offerings excite our franchisees as well. That’s important to us as we continue to focus on expansion and attract the best franchise operators in the industry.”

And Gasparin said the response has already been positive. “I am super excited about the momentum of this partnership, and it is great to see the reaction on social media coming from both Popeyes and Megan Thee Stallion fans,” he said. “Welcoming Megan as a franchisee is an exciting moment for everyone at Popeyes — other franchisees, customers, team members, guests — and we’re excited to have her on the team for years to come.”