Popeyes Just Unveiled Major Changes At Its Flagship Location

Popeyes was founded in New Orleans in 1972—and a new redesign of its historic Canal Street location in the city unveiled major new changes that bring the chain back to its roots while also featuring new technology.

Popeyes in New Orleans, Louisiana reopened its doors Monday, incorporating a new restaurant design and digital ordering options. While this location is not Popeyes' original first location, it did open in the 1970s and is considered one of the country's flagship restaurants.

The brand, a division of Toronto-based Restaurant Brands International, said the New Orleans restaurant is the first of its kind in the United States to feature a modern, sleek design. It includes new self-order kiosks, order-ready boards, and dedicated areas for digital order pickup.

The Canal Street restaurant, located on a Mardi Gras parade route, pays homage to Popeyes' Louisiana culture and heritage.

The brand celebrated the grand reopening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Popeyes executives, including Sami Siddiqui, Popeyes president; Jourdan Daleo, senior vice president of franchising and field operations; and Marcel Medawar, vice president of development. An obligatory brass band called Big Sam's Funky Nation played at the event.

The flagship restaurant on Canal Street features a new color scheme of the traditional Popeyes orange as well as a new color of teal dubbed "NOLA teal." The new design of the restaurant is modern with historic touches. The exterior of the building is notably historic looking, with pops of Popeyes orange on the metal balconies surrounding the facade.

The next restaurant to unveil the redesign will be the Popeyes at Times Square in New York, the brand said.