Popeyes, Essex

When Popeyes first opened in a New Orleans suburb in 1972, it wasn't exactly an instant hit. Known back then as Chicken on the Run, it experienced several months of lackluster sales.

Not ready to give up, founder Alvin Copeland Sr. changed his recipe from Southern fried chicken to spicy New Orleans–style chicken. He then gave his eatery a new moniker inspired by "Popeye" Doyle, the hardboiled detective in the hit film The French Connection.

A little more than a decade later, the popular chain opened its 500th restaurant, expanded to Canada, and added its fluffy buttermilk biscuits to the menu. It also introduced the country to crawfish, which—much like draping beads over the local alligator population—had long been popular in Louisiana.

Nowadays, patrons dig into the Louisiana favorites that made Popeyes famous, including po' boys and sides of red beans and rice. Of course, many flock there for the spicy or mild chicken that marinates for 12 hours before being battered, breaded, and fried.