From the Ground Up: Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen

Owner/developer: Out of the Box Ventures LLC (Alexandria, Louisiana)
General contractor: Advanced Building Specialties Inc. (Petal, Mississippi)
Architect: Buxton Kubik Dodd Design Collective
Engineers: Miller Engineering PC, structural; Anderson Engineering Inc., civil; and Buxton Kubik Dodd, mechanical, electrical and plumbing
Size: 2,500 square feet
Estimated cost: WND
Lender: None
Estimated completion: December
Project description: Republic’s explosion of jobs from its Amazon fulfillment center and other developments means more mouths to feed, and Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen will soon be the newest offering. Spicy breaded chicken is the headliner of the restaurant, which got its start in the New Orleans suburb of Arabi in 1972, according to the company’s website. Other offerings include fried shrimp, po’boy sandwiches, Cajun fries and catfish. The building, with an indoor dining room and a double-window drive-thru, features tall aqua-colored shutters reminiscent of the French Quarter, with orange lamps affixed around its perimeter. Springfield Business Journal encountered supervisor Tom Buckley at the site Nov. 12 as he oversaw finishing touches on an outdoor electrical fixture before work was set to start on paving and landscaping.