Popeyes plans to bring spicy fried chicken to Powdersville, add more Upstate locations

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, which operates more than 2,000 restaurants worldwide but only two in the Upstate, is expected to bring its spices to Anderson County as early as 2019.

The Miami-based chain of spicy chicken diners has purchased property in the Powdersville community and plans to begin construction of a store on State 153 next year, a store spokesman confirmed Thursday.

Popeyes operates 20 stores in South Carolina, but the only Upstate locations are in Boiling Springs and Gaffney. The company, which recently moved its headquarters from Atlanta to Miami, is expected to hire a staff of about 40 at the Anderson County location.

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Popeyes District Manager Paul Marks said the company plans to expand operations extensively in the Upstate and western North Carolina within the next three years. In addition to the two stores in operation and the planned store in Powdersville, the company has purchased land in Greer and in Arden, North Carolina.

The 46-year-old company, which gets its name from the fictional character Popeye Doyle in the 1972 movie "The French Connection," has purchased land adjacent to Advance Auto Parts in the 3000 block of State 153 in Powdersville.

The restaurant's feature attraction is New Orleans-style fried chicken.

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