Snow delays Popeyes opening to next Friday

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen in the Town of Poughkeepsie has delayed its opening to Feb. 17, a product of Thursday's winter storm.

"Unfortunately the snow delayed our progress, so we had to push things back a few days," said Ed Baksh, construction manager for the franchisee.

The chain restaurant, which features fried chicken, seafood and Cajun-inspired meals, had scheduled a Feb. 13 debut.

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The fast-food eatery will open at 535 Haight Ave., the former Nellie Kelly's location. It will feature 46 seats and two drive-thru lanes.

This marks the second delay for the restaurant, which originally planned a 2016 launch. A switch in general contractor resulted in the initial delay, according to Tim Warren of Warren Custom Builders, the site's general contractor.

Prior to this opening, Popeyes did not operate a Dutchess County restaurant. The two closest locations are about 17 miles south in New Windsor and about 18 miles north in Kingston.

The restaurant is part of the Parikh Network, a major Popeyes franchisee which runs 121 Popeyes restaurants in nine states, according to a press release on the opening.

Popeyes planned to hire about 65 employees for the Poughkeepsie location.

"Every restaurant we open adds over 60 team members to our growing family," Amish Parikh, Chief Operating Officer of the network, said in a release.

Popeyes is part of an influx of chain restaurants opening their first locations in Dutchess County. Hardees, Texas Roadhouse, Tilted Kilt and Golden Corral each opened in the Town of Poughkeepsie, while Chipotle Mexican Grill is expected to open in the Town of Fishkill in 2017.

Geoffrey Wilson: gwilson@poughkeepsiejournal.com, 845-437-4882, Twitter: Geoff_LW