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New Orleans' famous Canal Street Popeyes reopens with a new look, same great chicken

WaTeasa Freeman, Lafayette Daily Advertiser
·2 min read

A crowd began to form in the French Quarter early Monday morning as samples were handed out in celebration of a Louisiana favorite.

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen on Canal Street in New Orleans is the restaurant's best known location and it re-opened to the public Monday after months of construction and interior renovation.

Popeyes in the French Quarter has relaunched with some modern updates and sporting a new design and color. As the brand's flagship location they didn't hold back when it came to updating the entire restaurant. New seating, tiles, lighting and an updated kitchen are some of the features offered.

This is the first location to have a self service kiosk for costumers to place orders without waiting in line. The update includes order ready boards to service both flows of customers and a designated online order pick up area. A new color was added to the signature Popeyes orange, New Orleans teal as a tribute to the city where the famous brand was founded.

People try out the self-order kiosks at the re-opening of the Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen location on Canal Street in the French Quarter in New Orleans, Monday, March 28, 2022. The New Orleans restaurant is the first-ever Popeyes in the United States to feature modernized design including self-order kiosks, order ready boards, and dedicated areas for digital order pickup. Photo by Matthew Hinton

"We are excited to bring this back to New Orleans," says Marcel Medawar, Vice President of Development for Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen. "This location has a very unique design that is special to the area. You won't find another like this. We will be bringing certain elements to other stores across the country. Since we wanted to start with a bang, there is no better place than New Orleans."

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Social media influencers from across the state attended the event. Food and lifestyle bloggers helped Popeyes chicken sandwich become a massive hit in 2019. They were excited to show their followers the new technology and décor featured throughout the restaurant. The celebration was complete with music provided by Big Sam’s Funky Nation.

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Sammie 'Big Sam' Williams of Big Sam’s Funky Nation, left, performs next to social media influencer Jennifer Palpallatoc Perrault, a fashion and lifestyle blogger, at the re-opening of the Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen location on Canal Street in the French Quarter in New Orleans, Monday, March 28, 2022. The New Orleans restaurant is the first-ever Popeyes in the United States to feature modernized design including self-order kiosks, order ready boards, and dedicated areas for digital order pickup. Photo by Matthew Hinton

2022 marks 50 years since Alvin Copeland Sr. opened his first fried chicken restaurant in Louisiana. The original name was "Chicken on the Run." This name didn't see much success and shortly afterward he renamed the business "Popeyes Famous Fried Chicken." After making a few changes to the recipe it became a major success. The first franchise location opened less than four years after the change.

Now the brand has grown to over 3,000 stores worldwide and is one of the most popular fast food chains. Canal Street's location has grown in popularity as it is directly on the New Orleans Mardi Gras parade route. Tourists and locals were excited to see the lights on and to smell that signature chicken outside the restaurant Monday morning.

This location will operate under normal business hours. For more information visit www.popeyes.com.

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This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Popeyes Famous Fried Chicken on Canal Street New Orleans reopens