Popeyes is leaving North Broadway, but it will relocate nearby
Just two weeks after the McDonald’s on North Broadway closed for good comes news that a neighboring fast-food restaurant is also leaving.
The franchisee of the Popeyes at 1211 N. Broadway, just a couple of blocks to the north of the McDonald’s at 1050 N. Broadway that closed on Oct. 31, is making plans to move it next year.
The restaurant, which is one of five owned by franchisee Abdul Hamideh, will be moving to the former Hardee’s building at 2053 N. Amidon. That building has been vacant since Hardees abruptly closed its three local restaurants and left Wichita in April of this year.
Levi Iseman of InSite Real Estate Group said that a Popeyes franchisee just signed a lease on the space. Iseman represented the landlord in the deal.
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Representatives for ARJH Popeyes were not immediately reachable on Tuesday afternoon, but an employee who answered the phone at the North Broadway Popeyes said that the restaurant was indeed moving to 21st and Amidon. He added, though, that the move was not immediate and would likely not happen until sometime next year.
The Popeyes on North Broadway appears to have operated there since the late 1980s. Earlier this year, Hamideh bought five Wichita Popeyes restaurants from Wilken Enterprises owner Willie Kendrick, who’d had them for more than 40 years. The other Popeyes included in the deal were at 3131 N. Rock Road, 1623 S. Seneca, 4232 W. Central and 1350 N. Hillside.
Different franchisees — Mitesh Patel and his son, Sumit Patel of Mid-CHKN LLC, are opening the new Popeyes at 29th North and Maize Road. They signed a deal with the fried chicken chain to open 14 restaurants in Kansas, including more in Wichita.
Wichita McDonald’s franchisee Lane Enterprises closed its 60-year-old North Broadway restaurant on Oct. 31, saying that decision had been made on the corporate level. The company’s restaurants in Kingman and Anthony also were targeted for closure.
