Photo by Photo by Marielle Sumergido | The Daily Targum

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen has more than 2,000 locations nationwide, with its most recent one opening on George Street. While this particular franchise is not the first in New Brunswick, it does aim to cater more specifically to the Rutgers community than the other store.

For students looking for a new spot to eat near campus, a new Popeyes has opened on George Street.

The restaurant, located at at 375 George St., held its grand opening on Monday with good response from the community.

“There’s a lot of restaurants in the downtown area and we welcome new businesses, especially since there wasn't anything in that spot for a little while,” said Jennifer Bradshaw, public information officer for the City of New Brunswick.

Popeyes is a Louisiana-based multinational chain founded in 1972 with more than 2,000 franchises across the nation. The George Street location was opened by Parikh Network LLC. Parikh Network currently operates 78 Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen franchises in the Greater New York area.

While there has been another branch in New Brunswick and also one in Piscataway, George Street’s location is most conveniently located for the Rutgers community, as it is directly between College Avenue and Douglass campuses, at the Paterson bus stop.

The excitement for the opening is already present within the Rutgers community, said David Parlej, a School of Engineering first-year student. He said he has always loved fried chicken, especially those from Popeyes.

“Since it only takes 5 minutes from my dorm on Douglass, I’ll be heading down for sure. I’m really excited that Popeyes is opening up close to me,” Parlej said.

Robert Jackson, the district manager of Popeyes, said the restaurant is working to cater to the Rutgers community.

“We’re working on getting discounts for students in the area. We will have delivery, and we’re trying to get on GrubHub too.” Grubhub is delivery food service search engine, popular among students.

“We will also be having monthly specials,” Jackson said.

Minna Kim is an Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy first-year student. She is a contributing writer for The Daily Targum.