1Popeyes.jpg
The new Popeyes Chicke & Biscuits restaurant, which has been anticipated by some since plans for it were announced in February, will have its grand opening at 10 a.m. at 4213 W. Main St.
(Al Jones | MLive/Gazette)
KALAMAZOO, MI - A new Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits restaurant is set to open Monday on West Main Street in Kalamazoo.
The business, which has been anticipated by some since plans for it were announced in February, will have its grand opening at 10 a.m. at 4213 W. Main St.
It is just west of Davenport University and across from a Little Caesar's pizza location.
The opening of the 2,400-square-foot eatery culminates a construction project that started in late May with the demolition of two small office buildings on the site as well as several days of worker training.
"We are excited about the Kalamazoo market," said franchise owner Percy Bean Jr., a 1987 Western Michigan University graduate and Battle Creek resident who will now own five Popeye's franchises in Michigan. The others are in Battle Creek, Lansing and Muskegon County.
Popeyes is a quick-service food chain known for its spicy Louisiana-style cooking. Its menu includes chicken, chicken tenders, breaded shrimp, catfish, sandwiches, wraps and sauces.
"We're really known for our signature side items," Bean said, mentioning jambalaya, red beans and rice, and Cajun rice that he said "cannot be duplicated."
Why Kalamazoo?
"One of the things we had been noticing at our Battle Creek location (91 E. Columbia Ave.) was about 10 percent of the people come from Kalamazoo," Bean said. "They drive over."
So he said it seemed like the right time to open a location in greater Kalamazoo. He was not the owner of the Popeyes franchise that operated for many years at 3300 Gull Road in Comstock Township and closed several years ago.
The new West Main Street Popeyes was originally expected to be open for business by early August, but faced a few delays, including some utility problems were and, in recent weeks, rainy weather that made it difficult to excavate the site, Bean said.
While the location will open with the help of some workers from the other restaurants he owns, Bean said the business will start with about 90 employees - 15 full-time employees and 75 part-timers. He said all of the new hires are from the Kalamazoo area.
David Parent, who Bean said has worked with him for more than eight years, is general manager of the store. He is a transfer from the Popeyes location in Lansing.
Beads similar to those available at New Orleans' famous Mardi Gras were offered during a family and friends training session Saturday, but Bean said the grand opening will not include any special sales.
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Inc. is the Atlanta-based franchiser of about 2,000 Popeyes locations worldwide, including about 1,600 in the United States. The restaurant chain, which was started in 1972 in New Orleans, takes its name from Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle, a fictional police detective in the 1971 movie "The French Connection." Parts of that movie were filmed in Louisiana and New Orleans.
Regular hours for the new business will be 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to midnight on Friday and Saturday.
MLive/Gazette business writer Al Jones may be contacted at ajones5@mlive.com. Follow me on Twitter at ajones5_al.