The closest thing would be the "16Pc Classic Signature Chicken Family Meal," which is $55.69 at that location and is described as feeding between 6 and 8 people. So you'd need to tip a bit to get to $68 from there.
Also, that meal doesn’t include drinks. Poppies is significantly cheaper if you’re taking it home and supplementing with your own drinks.
I just tried it with the "8pc meal" and 3 fountain drinks for the same location, and it came to $39.36, including tax.
(If you want to try for yourself, I picked the Popeye's at 45 N Orange Blossom in Orlando, FL.)
I’ve seen 2 active teens at healthy body weights split that 8pc meal + a side of biscuits. Obviously if you’re talking about a 6 year old the numbers are different.
That’s my point, family of 3 isn’t some standard size.
Or maybe, just maybe, the idea that it costs the typical family of three $68 to eat at Popeye’s is just utter bullshit?
That said, 8pc meal is a discount, you can get charged more for the same food if they aren’t all ordering the same thing. Also, don’t forget the extra side of biscuits I mentioned, teens can be shockingly ravenous beasts.
Similarly not all locations have the same pricing.
A 5pc chicken tenders, Mac and cheese, and a large drink is $25 before tax. If there are three people who get a similar meal (but not exact so they don't share the family meals) then the total is $75 before tax. Seems like the original price quote of $68 is certainly plausible for a group of three. I am sure its possible to feed three people for less like you claim, but that doesn't mean the $68 is impossible to reach.
And then you ordered an amount of calories greater than the recommended amount for an adult for the entire day. Sure, some people eat that, but is that remotely a useful metric to answer the question of what it costs the typical family of three to eat at Popeye’s? No.
What region? Putting that same order together for a location near me is $16.23 after tax. Putting in the address above (45 N Orange Blossom in Orlando, FL.), the total was $17.35 after tax.
IMO what matters is what you pay; the numbers they post on the menus and other media aren't useful.
(It doesn't seem implausible to me that you'd pay $20/pp for food in most parts of the US; I'm responding purely to the hearsay claim that someone paid $68 for 3 people. I can't square that unless you actually bought twice as much food, and then some.)
The family meals are substantially cheaper than individual meals, if you can get everyone to agree on bone-in chicken and the same 2 sides.
A 20% tip would push that up to something like $66.