The Fast Food Breakfast Menu You Can Only Find At The Airport

For a quick breakfast on the run or a hearty hangover meal, there are plenty of options at standard fast food restaurants. Greasy hashbrowns from McDonald's, pancakes (or hotcakes) slathered in syrup, a chicken breakfast sandwich from Chick-fil-A — there's no telling where the morning will take you. Where it won't take you, sadly, is to a Popeyes location any time before about 10 a.m., because the Louisiana-style chain doesn't serve breakfast at most American locations. Unless you are catching an early flight, you won't find any spicy breakfast sandwiches or Cajun-seasoned grits at your local Popeyes.

Known for its Louisiana-style fried chicken and Southern flavors (including the key ingredient that makes its chicken spicy), Popeyes doesn't offer a universal breakfast menu the way that other fast food chains do. At least, not in the United States. The chain does have a breakfast menu chock-full of breakfast rolls, hash rounds, and egg sandwiches, but those delicious breakfast bites are only available in the mornings at select airport locations.

While you can't pick up a Big Breakfast Roll with Cajun Ketchup at your neighborhood Popeyes, the airport will have to do. Major airports, such as Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Raleigh-Durham International Airport, offer fresh breakfast from as early as 4 a.m. in Raleigh and 6 a.m. in Atlanta.

Back in 2013, Popeyes tested a full breakfast menu at its Mooresville, North Carolina location, complete with grits and various biscuit sandwich options, but the menu never stuck. Soon, it was gone, and the fast food chain never issued an official explanation detailing why the breakfast menu wasn't offered nationwide. However, our neighbors across the pond in the United Kingdom are free to enjoy Popeyes' breakfast menu every day at any location since Popeyes unveiled the 'Rise and shine!' breakfast menu in early 2024.

Popeyes opened its first UK location in 2021 and quickly expanded to over 35 locations within a few short years, with major plans for expansion on its agenda. UK residents just can't seem to get enough of that Cajun-style fried chicken, and we don't blame them. Early in 2024, Popeyes unveiled a new breakfast menu for UK stores, with mouthwatering options like the Big Cajun Roll, the Cajun Hash Brown, and the Original Biscuit and Nutella. As reported by The Grocer, Head of Food at Popeyes, Dave Hoskins, noted that the fast food chain rolled out its UK-based breakfast menu to "shake up the UK grab-and-go breakfast scene." Maybe in the near future, Popeyes will "shake up" things here, too.