CHEEKTOWAGA – A downstate restaurant group is renovating a vacant Dunkin’ Donuts location on Union Road to for its fourth Popeyes Louisiana Chicken location in Western New York according to Councilmember James Rogowski.
LAL Restaurant Group of Queens Village in New York City pulled permits with the town to renovate the 2,452 sq. ft. restuarant space at 3497 Union Road.
“Working with our Town Planner Daniel Ulatowski, we try to fill the empty buildings in town the best we can,” Mr. Rogowski said. “We reached out to Popeyes, and Popeyes filed for a permit and application, and we’re looking forward to Popeyes moving into the town as we are with Chick-fil-A.”
The developer behind the project is CEO Lalmir Sultanzada of LAL Restaurant Group. The company has a large portfolio of franchise restaurants and is responsible for the three other Popeyes locations in Western New York.
“Whenever he sees a location he goes out there, reviews the area, spends a couple of days or sometimes weeks, and sees what type of energy and vibe the area has and he really liked it,” said David Noor, Controller for LAL Restaurant Group.
Work has recently started to remodel the building and Mr. Noor thinks the restaurant should have its ribbon cutting sometime in July at the latest.
Mr. Rogowski is happy another abandoned building is getting a second chance at life.
“These abandoned buildings, one was knocked down and will be rebuilt for Chick-fil-A and the Popeyes building will be retrofitted to fit its needs,” added Mr. Rogowski. “It’s great to see that investors are willing to invest in the Town of Cheektowaga. We’re leading the way in development. Let’s be the leaders, let’s fill these empty buildings, let’s get things done.”
Popeyes other locations in Western New York include Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo, Milipine Plaza in Niagara Falls, and McKinley Plaza in Hamburg.