Third Popeyes on tap for Springfield

Last edited at 9:05 a.m. May 28.

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen is coming back to the north side. The third Springfield restaurant for Fayetteville, Ark.-based franchisee SmitCo Eateries Inc. is underway at 1231 W. Kearney St., where a China Star restaurant was demolished earlier this year.

“We always thought we would have three locations in Springfield,” said Rodney Coats, SmitCo’s chief financial officer. “An opportunity arose with that piece of land, and we took it.”

The new site is just two blocks east of Springfield’s original Popeyes, operated by L & N Investments of St. Robert. The 1421 W. Kearney St. building is now a Hong Kong Inn Chinese restaurant.

“It’s a good location,” Coats said. “I can’t speak to why the other restaurant closed, but I will say location is only one factor. It’s all about management and ownership.”

SmitCo brought the chain back to the Queen City in 2012, and the operators are not affiliated with other Popeyes that had previously operated in Springfield. SmitCo also runs six Arkansas Popeyes restaurants in Fayetteville, Fort Smith, Rogers, Springdale and Van Buren and recently were granted franchise rights to the Columbia and Jefferson City markets. According to Popeyes.com, the fried chicken restaurant started in Arabi, La., in 1972, and today operates more than 2,000 locations worldwide.

The 2,265-square-foot Springfield building is slated for completion by August. Sean Thouvenot, vice president of field operations for general contractor Branco Enterprises Inc., said he’s working with Jack Ball Associates Architects PC and engineers Pinnacle Design Consultants LLC and Interpres Building Solutions LLC on the $620,000 project.

Unlike SmitCo’s other two Springfield locations, Thouvenot said the company would own the West Kearney building. According to Springfield Business Journal archives, EMW Investments LLC, a division of Jared Enterprises Inc., owns the Popeyes property at 1710 S. Glenstone Ave., and Bill Beall Co. owns the building at 3195 S. Campbell Ave.

“We go for great locations and the other two weren’t for sale, just build-to-suit properties,” Coats said.

Coats and business partner, Brian Smith, got their start in 27 years ago through the Subway sandwich franchise. Coats said SmitCo also currently is working to develop seafood restaurant Captain D’s in the Joplin and northwest Arkansas areas.