Popeyes to open Watertown location Monday
Jan. 26—WATERTOWN — Popeyes will open its Route 3 location at 10 a.m. Monday, according to its operator, Liberty Restaurants of Syracuse LLC.
The restaurant is located at the site of the former Bob Evans restaurant on Route 3, also known as outer Arsenal Street, adjacent to Interstate 81 in the town of Watertown.
Alvin C. Copeland Sr. opened the first Popeyes restaurant in 1972 in a suburb of New Orleans. It was called "Chicken on the Run," and served traditional Southern-fried chicken, according to the company website.
"After several months of lackluster performance, he reopens the restaurant as 'Popeyes' (after Popeye Doyle of The French Connection). This time he sells spicy, New Orleans-style chicken," the website says.
The company has been franchising since 1976 and now has more than 3,700 restaurants in 46 states and 30 countries. The company had net revenue of $579 million in 2021 and employs more than 2,000 people, according to its annual report.
"Watertown has been one of our most important markets since we began our Upstate New York market, and we are very excited to finally open to the Watertown community," Heidi Cousineau, LRS's vice president of real estate and construction, said in a statement. "We look forward to joining the community and are excited for the entire Watertown market to try Popeyes."
Liberty Restaurants of Syracuse LLC is a part of the Liberty Restaurants Holdings parent company. They are headquartered in New York City, and have multiple locations across Connecticut, New York and Pennsylvania.
The company is led by franchisee Laddi Singh and his brother, Rana Kaknia. This group has a more than 30-store development commitment with Popeyes to expand the brand across the state over the next three years.
There is presently a Popeyes operating on Fort Drum and in Oswego.
