Popeyes to bring Southern flair to Everett
Published 1:30 am Friday, November 11, 2016
EVERETT — It’s a restaurant famous for its chicken that promises to bring a Southern flair to Everett.
No, it’s not Chick fil A.
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen plans to open at 6504 Evergreen Way by the end of this month. This will be the first restaurant for the chain in Snohomish County.
The business will employ 70 people, said Steve Downs, the owner who lives in Puyallup.
“Initially, everybody will be working full-time, because we anticipate it will be that busy,” Downs said. “That’s the hope. That’s the plan.”
The 3,200-square-foot restaurant is being built by Everett’s Olympic General Contractors.
Downs has owned Popeyes restaurants for 25 years. The Everett location will be his 12th franchise with all of the others located in the south Puget Sound region.
He is looking to add two or three more locations in Snohomish County.
“We’re working real hard in trying to find one in Lynnwood,” he said.
Popeyes features spicy, New Orleans-style chicken and Cajun seafood and sides such as jambalaya, corn on the cob and buttermilk biscuits. One of its specialities is red beans and rice.
“It has the New Orleans kick,” Downs said, adding that the restaurant also has mildly spiced recipes as well.
The company started in the 1970s in the New Orleans suburb of Arabi, according to the company website. The chain is owned by Georgia-based AFC Enterprises.
Popeyes surpassed 2,000 locations in 2011 and operates in 30 countries around the world.
Popeyes takes its name from Popeye Doyle, a character in the movie “The French Connection,” not the animated spinach-loving sailor.
