Popeyes, Raising Cane's planning new locations on Broad Street, Brook Road - RichmondBizSense

A new Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen is set to rise on West Broad Street near its intersection with Staples Mill Road. (Courtesy of county documents)

Two fried chicken restaurant chains are adding to their Richmond-area flocks.

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen is planning to open at the former Burger King site at 4800 W. Broad St. Meanwhile, over near Virginia Center Commons, Raising Cane’s recently filed plans for a new spot at 10093 Brook Road.

The site for the new Popeyes has been vacant since 2019, when Burger King closed up shop there after 40 years. Chinese restaurant chain Panda Express initially swooped in and filed preliminary plans to build a new restaurant on the 0.6-acre site. However, it scrapped those plans later that year. The building has sat idle ever since.

The former Burger King building has sat vacant since 2019, when Panda Express was looking to open in the space. (Mike Platania photo)

Popeyes filed plans in recent weeks to build a new 2,400-square-foot restaurant with a drive-thru on the site. It will be the chain’s 12th Richmond-area location. Silvercore is listed on plans as the project’s engineer.

A Popeyes spokesperson said the location is projected to open in March 2023, around the same time it plans to open its new store near the Midlothian Costco.

Popeyes is planning to buy the land on West Broad Street, which is bisected by the Richmond-Henrico county line. City and county records show that Burger King has owned the land since 2002, and it was most recently assessed at a combined $1.4 million.

Panda Express, after scrapping its plans on Broad Street, turned its attention to Ashland, where it’s planning to open at 809 England St. this August.

Raising Cane’s is looking to Glen Allen for its latest Richmond-area location. (Courtesy of county documents)

As for Raising Cane’s, known for its chicken fingers, the company selected a site that’s currently home to a Shoney’s, which has owned the land since the late 1990s.

A Raising Cane’s spokeswoman said they’re leasing the land and plan to open on Brook Road in early 2024.

Plans indicate the Cane’s would be about 3,100 square feet and equipped with a drive-thru, whereas the Shoney’s is about 5,600 square feet.

A Shoney’s currently operates on the site near Virginia Center Commons. (Mike Platania photo)

Kimley-Horn is listed as the project’s engineer.

While Raising Cane’s currently has only one Richmond-area location near VCU, the 26-year-old chain has multiple other locations in the works.

Last winter it spent $2.5 million on a building off Hull Street Road in Midlothian where it will build a new restaurant. It’s also signed on for another location near The Diamond at the planned Scott’s Walk development. The company previously said it aims to open four new locations in the Richmond area by the end of 2023.

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