DAVENPORT, Iowa (KWQC) – If all goes to plan, Quad City fans could be sinking their teeth into Popeyes chicken 18 days from now.
Contractors at the site of the new Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen at the corner of Kimberly and Marquette say they are working toward an opening date of Nov. 7.
Popeyes franchisee Susan Wali confirms Nov. 7 is the target date but stresses it is not yet definite.
In addition to finishing construction, she says hiring staff for the new store and other issues still need to be accomplished.
“We don’t want to disappoint our fans,” says Wali, if the opening needs to be pushed back.
Indeed, QC Popeyes lovers do appear to take the opening seriously.
The Davenport location, at the site of the former K’s Merchandise, already has a Facebook fan page with nearly 900 followers.
Dozens of comments include desperate inquiries about the opening date and general expressions of excitement.
Janice Lewis wrote, “OPEN OPEN OPEN !”
“PLS HURRY we LOVE LOVE LOVE POPEYE’S chicken,” commented Gege Ship.
There have been rumors for weeks about various opening dates ranging from early October to the day of Halloween.
“Is this like the Rock Island Walmart?” quipped Steve Montgomery on Facebook, referring to the recent announcement that a new Wal-Mart would not be built in Rock Island after several years of anticipation.
Whether the opening remains Nov. 7 or needs to be moved, Wali promises to update fans with the official date as soon as possible.
The Popeyes website indicates, aside from the Davenport store, the chain’s nearest locations to the Quad Cities are in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Peoria, Illinois.