According to a recent permit filing, Popeyes will open a new franchise location at 3646 Fishinger Blvd. in Hilliard. The Popeyes will replace Rapid Fire Pizza, which used to be in the space. The building, along with the franchise, is owned by SAPP Restaurant Enterprises, a local family-owned franchise group who have opened several other fast casual restaurant chains in the Columbus area, including a Qdoba set to open this September in New Albany.
Nate Baker with SAPP Restaurant Enterprises tells What Now Columbus the new Popeyes location is slated to open the third week in May. The restaurant will make the eleventh Popeyes the franchise group has opened in the Columbus area. Most of their other locations are in east Columbus, but they see their recent expansion to the west side of the city as an opportunity to serve more people.
“We were looking to diversify our area and wanted to expand around Columbus to be more available for guests. We’ve been on east side of Columbus, but we started opening stores on the west side in the last year,” Baker said.
Popeyes formed in New Orleans in 1972 and is known for serving fried chicken, seafood, biscuits and Louisiana inspired sides, like mashed potatoes with cajun gravy and red beans and rice. Currently, there are 3,000 Popeyes restaurants in North America. In 2017 Popeyes was acquired by Restaurant Brands International, a fast food holding company with a portfolio that also includes Burger King, Tim Hortons and Fire House Subs.
