A new Popeyes restaurant in Sudbury has attracted quite a bit of attention since its Jan. 28 opening, with fans and new customers alike lining the parking lot, the drive thru and part of Notre Dame Ave on the first day.
And it hasn’t stopped yet.
Jashan Mittel, manager of the new location, said there have been 1000 people every day. “One man has come back three times in one day,” he said. Mittel came from the Sault Ste Marie location, the next closest being Barrie, and said that people have come from Elliot Lake, Espanola, North Bay and other places to try it out.
When asked if they expected the turnout, Mittel laughs and told Sudbury.com that they did expect a crowd, that’s why there were employees from across Ontario there to help make opening day smoother, but it has turned out to be, according to Mittel, the biggest opening day for Popeyes in Ontario.
Richard Gauthier had never tried Popeyes before, but had seen advertising for it and decided to try it out. ”I’ve never been and I thought I’d try it out. Something new in Sudbury.”
Kaedan Cronk, however, has had her sights set on Popeye’s for quite a while; quite literally. “I work at the Tim Hortons, so I watched it being built,” she said, while waiting in the drive thru line to finally get a taste. “Every day looking across the way here, thinking “I can't wait. I can't wait,” she said. “I've always heard such amazing things about Popeyes and it being like the best chicken I've heard people coming from out of the country into the country and only going to Popeyes, stuff like that.”
She wanted to try it as soon as it opened, but was foiled by everyone in the city’s attempts to do the same. “I'm like, ‘I need to try it right now,’ and as soon as it was open, the line was all the way down the street.”
