A new Popeyes Louisiana Chicken restaurant is on its way to Jefferson City.
Jefferson City's Building Regulations Division approved building plans for the new restaurant earlier this month.
The drive-thru fast-food restaurant will operate in a newly constructed building at 2102 Missouri Blvd., the former site of Johnny's Pizza & Steakhouse. Johnny's closed in January upon owner John Pardalos' retirement after 35 years in business. With the original building now demolished, Pardalos retains ownership of the property, which he is leasing to the Popeyes franchise.
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen operates and franchises more than 2,000 restaurants worldwide, with about 70 percent of its U.S. restaurants concentrated in Texas, California, Louisiana, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, New York, Georgia, Virginia and Mississippi, according to the company's website.
The restaurant's menu features a variety of fried chicken and seafood options, sandwiches and wraps, along with "signature sides" including Cajun fries, red beans and rice, macaroni and cheese, and jambalaya.
Popeyes also offers a catering menu.
The brand was founded in New Orleans in 1972 and is now the second-largest quick-service chicken restaurant chain in the world, according to the Popeyes website.
The Popeyes location currently nearest Jefferson City is on Business Loop 70 in Columbia.
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