Reykjavík Grapevine - 14.08.2015, Qupperneq 23

23The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 12 — 2015
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2012 2013 20141999 201020092008 2011
POPEYES
2000 – 2002
Global ly : 1,908 locat ions
(1,533 US locat ions ,
0 .000005 per capi ta) In
Ice land : 0 f ranchises
(0 per capi ta)

Popeyes International HQ (“the
world’s second-largest chicken
chain in terms of sales, a division
of AFC Enterprises”) had big plans
for Iceland, proclaiming in July
of 2000 that they would be open-
ing their first franchise there later
that year—eventually bringing the
chain’s unique brand of Louisiana-
style fried chicken (imagine a very
slightly spicier KFC) to four loca-
tions in the country by the end of
2003. Their Iceland Excursion
was part of Popeyes’ “strategy of
creating a global presence for the
Popeyes brand” (this strategy en-
tailed funding the godawful Adam
Sandler vehicle ‘Little Nicky’
(2000) in exchange for some bla-
tantly obnoxious product place-
ment). The announcement also
detailed similar plans for Panama.
Despite being backed by two of
Iceland’s most prominent busi-
nessmen, brothers Sigurður Gísli
and Jón Pálmason (heirs to the
Hagkaup department store em-
pire), Popeyes Iceland proved an
abject failure, shutting down after
less than two years in operation.

Fun Fac ts !
• Unlike most fast food chains
that make it to Iceland, Popey-
es received very little attention
from the local media. Whoever
handled their PR should be ret-
roactively fired.
• Popeyes Iceland only man-
aged to open two of their
planned four locations before
throwing in the towel in 2002
(at Peak Popeyes, Iceland had
more Popeyes Per Capita (PPC)
than the US).
• Local Popeyes fans were be-
fuddled by the chain’s sudden
departure, but noted that Pop-
eyes Iceland never seemed to
get the taste quite right.
• Popeyes Panama is still going
strong.
RUBY TUESDAY
1999 – Present

Global ly : 792 (692 US Locat ions ,
0 .000002 per capi ta)
In Ice land : 2 locat ions
(0 .0000063 per capi ta)
Twenty seven years after the first Ruby Tues-
day opened in Knoxville, TN, the popular ca-
sual dining chain FINALLY saw fit to bring its
take on Cuisine Américaine to Iceland. Local
media enthusiastically reported on Ruby Tues-
day’s arrival, noting that the “family friendly”
restaurant’s fare was of a higher quality than
most fast food, and that they would operate a
huge salad bar (along with a regular bar, for al-
cohol). The franchise’s casual American menu
(burgers, ribs, “Mexican,” “Chinese,” etc.—
think “slightly different TGI Friday’s”) proved
a big enough hit with Icelanders to keep Ruby
Tuesday’s Skipholt location in business, with
an additional location opening in Höfðabakki
in 2003.
Fun Fac ts !
• Ruby Tuesday Iceland marked the chain’s
first foray into the European market.
• Many Icelandic buffalo wing enthusiasts
consider RT to be Iceland’s premier purvey-
or of buffalo flavoured chicken wings.
Dunkin’ Donuts
2015 – Present

Global ly : 8 ,000 locat ions (3 , 200
US locat ions , 0 .000025
per capi ta)
In Ice land : 1 locat ion
(0 .000003 per capi ta)
Hi, Dunkin’ Donuts!
Fun Fac ts !
• Perhaps due the timing of Dunkin’ Donuts
grand opening (high cucumber season), the
chain’s arrival quickly became a bonafide
media event of gargantuan proportions.
This was accompanied by an equally in-
tense social media discourse, with some
camps attempting to ascribe deep mean-
ing to the pastry shop’s 101 takeover, while
others expressed intense disappointment
and/or joy at the prospect—and yet others
just wanting to look at some fuckin’... pic-
tures of folks wearing donut costumes on
Laugavegur for a moment, thank you very
much.
• Dunkin’ Donuts is the second-ever inter-
national chain to inspire a cover image for
The Reykjavík Grapevine.
Papa
John’s
2000 – 2003

Global ly 3715 lo-
cat ions (3 ,006 US
Locat ions .000009
per capi ta)
In Ice land : 0
locat ions (0 per
capi ta)
Papa John's burst onto Ice-
land’s pizza scene in 2000,
boasting superior ingredi-
ents and quality service,
all under the benevolent,
charismatic leadership of
internationally revered
pizza mogul “Papa ‘Big
Papa’ John” Schnatter. As
records show, the fran-
chise’s first customers
were quite happy with Mr.
Papa, taking the time to
write letters to Morgun-
blaðið’s editor extolling
the fine and customizable
delivery services of the
franchise (“They will put
pepperoni on your cheese
sticks if you ask them, and
they are really nice about
it”).
Unfortunately for
John, his venture into
Iceland’s restaurant scene
ultimately proved fruit-
less (though one can only
imagine things would
have been different had
the man himself been
present in Iceland to over-
see his creation), the local
market (and presumably
the air and water supply)
oversaturated with pizza.
All the pizza. The streets
of Reykjavík were paved
with pizza.
Fun Fac ts !
• Papa John is a real
person, and Morgun-
blaðið got to interview
him. He appears quite
handsome in the ac-
companying photo, as
was to be expected.
DOMINO'S
1993 – present

Global ly 9 ,927 locat ions
(4 ,927 US Locat ions ,
0 .000015 per capi ta)
In Ice land : 9 locat ions
(0 .000027 per capi ta)
Iceland's second most successful
chain restaurant—Domino’s Pizza,
but of course—was established in
the summer of 1993. Reflecting on
Domino’s hectic first week, which
saw Icelanders succumb to PIZZA
FRENZY, Domino’s International
Director of Development Gregory
Ralko told Morgunblaðið that he
was very impressed by the local
franchise holders and the quality of
Icelandic produce. He furthermore
verified that, yes, Icelanders had set
a DOMINO’S WORLD RECORD,
with the Reykjavík outpost’s first
week sales surpassing that of any
other location in the world. We sure
love pizza. Indeed, when Domino’s
Iceland celebrated its third birth-
day by offering a set price on all
large pizzas, regardless of the
number of toppings, sales soared
from 7-8,000 pizzas per week to 11-
12,000. Some customers reportedly
ordered pizzas with over ten differ-
ent toppings, including anchovies
and olives, according to then-CEO
Þórarinn Ævarsson.
Fun Fac ts !
• Film producer and frequent
David Lynch collaborator Sig-
urjón Sighvatsson was one of
the original shareholders of
Iceland's Domino's, and he had
big dreams of expanding to the
other Nordic countries.
• For its first few years in Ice-
land, Domino’s had an infamous
policy of giving orders for free
if they didn't arrive within 30
minutes. The practice was later
discontinued due to road safety
concerns.
• For some strange reason (?!?)
the Icelandic State owned and
operated Domino’s Pizza Ice-
land for a while following the
collapse.
Pizza Hut
1988 – present

Global ly : 13 ,447 loca-
t ions (7,566 US Loca-
t ions , 0 .000024 per
capi ta)
In Ice land : 1 f ranchise
(0 .00000303859 per
capi ta)
Upon scoring a Pizza Hut fran-
chise licence in 1988, former hotel
manager Steindór Ólafsson pro-
claimed that he was so confident
in the venture that he would move
his family from London, back to
Iceland. Explaining Pizza Hut’s
superiority in the field of pizza
to obviously excited reporters,
Steindór noted that the magic re-
ally happened in Pizza Hut’s spe-
cial ovens, which were electric
conveyor ones, rather than tradi-
tional brick ovens. "This method
should deliver a thicker pie," he
said, "soft and light on the inside—
crunchy and hazel-coloured on the
outside."
At the height of its arguably
successful run, the family-friendly
pizza restaurant operated three
Iceland locations. Today, however,
after some turning tides and that
infamous economic collapse, only
one remains.
Fun Fac ts !
• Pizza Hut coming to Iceland
was part of the brand’s Nordic
expansion, which also reached
Stockholm and Helsinki. Both
cities still harbour Pizza Hut
franchises.
• When introducing Iceland’s
first global pizza franchise,
Steindór assured locals that
Pizza Hut would place empha-
sis on locally sourcing as many
ingredients as possible.
• For some strange reason,
Pizza Hut became known as
a sort of “luxury pizza” in Ice-
land, which was firmly reflect-
ed in the restaurant’s pricing
policy. They did operate a killer
all-you-can-eat lunch buffet,
however, which was far more
affordable.
• There are no records to indi-
cate that Steindór did not at-
tempt to enlist "Pizza the Hutt"
from 'Spaceballs' as his restau-
rant’s mascot.

Passengers through Kef lav ik a i rpor t 600369 693883 747534 830158 927689 927689 719073 719073 881915 1005122 1145928 1369183
Obesi t y ra te among adul ts of the populat ion 8 % 12 % 12 .4 % 23 . 2 % 21% 21%
OU T TA ROOM , OU T TA SIGHT !
Hey ! We cou ldn' t f i t a l l o f f r anch ise - lov ing I ce land 's f r anch ises on th i s he re spread ! They a r e s imp l y TOO M A N Y! Go to
w w w.gr apev ine . i s nex t week to r ead a l l abou t Subway, L i l 'O rb i t s ( ! ) , TG I F r iday 's A ND MOR E !