Popeyes, an Atlanta, Ga.-based fried chicken restaurant chain, will open its first store in Cedar Rapids early next year.

Jeff Braverman of SASAJ LLC in Coralville said the foundation for the 60-seat, 2,700-square-foot restaurant is under construction just east of the Road Ranger store at Blairs Ferry Road and C Avenue NE.

“The actual structure is being trucked in and should be here on Dec. 15,” said Braverman, formerly president of Hawkeye Foodservice in Coralville. “Anyone driving down Blairs Ferry Road will see a real change at that intersection.

“Our goal is to open Feb. 9. We plan to initially hire about 60 people and hope to keep them really busy.”

Braverman said SASAJ in July bought an existing Popeyes location in Waterloo to become proficient at running the business.

“I've never been on this side of the business,” said Braverman, whose family owned Hawkeye Foodservice until July 2012. “I've always worked on the supplier side of the restaurant business.

“It's a chance to talk and interact with the people who actually consume the food, rather than those who prepare it.”

Braverman said the restaurant will offer dine-in and drive-up service. He said Popeyes corporate monitors service through the drive-up window, which can account for 50 percent of the restaurant's business.

“At Popeyes, everything is cooked to order,” Braverman said. “We bring fresh chicken in the door, bread and marinate it, and cook it to order before serving it to the customer.”

Braverman said SASAJ worked with Popeyes to select its location. He said the company prefers to locate its restaurants on routes where people are driving home from work.

Braverman said SASAJ became a Popeyes franchise because the publicly owned company has been consistently profitable. He said SASAJ already is looking at additional locations in Eastern Iowa and western Illinois.

To reach Popeye's Cedar Rapids by phone, call (319) 899-6846. You can also find hours at the Popeyes Cedar Rapids Facebook page.