Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 16/7/2019 (436 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeggers are clearly fans of Popeyes southern-style food as the Louisiana fried chicken and seafood chain is opening two more restaurants, one in Westwood, the other in Transcona.

The Regent location will take over the space vacated by Payless Shoes in Crossroad Station, but zoning has just gone through the city so it may still be months away from opening. While the location on 3420 Portage Avenue will take over the space that once housed Hakim Optical.

"They're high traffic areas with a great mix of commercial and residential," co-owner Jonathan Enright of Enright Group said in an interview.

He added that they'll be able to serve different regions of Winnipeg from their original Popeyes location in Seasons of Tuxedo on Sterling Lyon Parkway. Enright said the Portage location can cover the west side of the city, while the Crossroad Station will be able to handle the east.

The first Popeyes opened nearly a year ago, and has since been incredibly successful due largely to an "outpouring of support from the community," Enright said.

At the time of last summer's opening, Enright said he and his partners inked a deal to open locations across the city, province and even northwestern Ontario, but stayed mum on the exact number of locations or when they would open, citing confidentiality.

"We’re negotiating on a number of properties at the moment and we would like to expand the brand," Enright told the Free Press in August 2018.

The new locations are those negotiations coming to fruition, increasing the number of Popeyes restaurants in the city to three. Enright also said there are two more locations on the way to Manitoba, including one in Portage la Prairie.

Prior to bringing the fried chicken franchise to Winnipeg, Enright Group owned and operated 16 Boston Pizza restaurants throughout the province. After a year of experiencing the fast food side, Enright said there are many similarities and differences, but he enjoys it.

"It's still a people business," Enright said, adding that the casual dining is also something he enjoys.

New Orleans-based Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Inc. is a fried chicken and seafood company that opened in 1972. In 1984, Popeyes opened its first location in Canada in Toronto, but the company expanded to other regions of the country in 2014 and 2015, opening 30 restaurants in 18 months.

In spring 2017, Restaurant Brands International Inc. bought Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Inc. for about US$1.8 billion. RBI also owns Tim Hortons and Burger King. There are 3,100 Popeyes locations in more than 25 countries worldwide.

nicholas.frew@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @n_frew