Steve Downs is the owner of the new Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen in White Center at the corner of 15th Ave. SW and SW 100th street. The new business is a franchise and will employ 78 people.
White Center’s makeover continues with the opening of Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen at the corner of 15th SW and 100th SW.
It’s the second Popeye’s in the Seattle area for owner Steve Downs, who has been in the quick service restaurant business for 26 years. He came up through Burger King and eventually ran that franchise in Federal Way. He and a partner opened a Popeye's in Federal Way a few years ago. He became sole owner and began searching for real estate in Burien or White Center. When the Chevron station closed he partnered with Starbucks (now in the last stages of construction on the property) and built the Popeye's location. The build out took an extra six weeks Downs said due to the inability to find qualified construction contractors in Seattle. Downs said the draw is, "The cajun food you can't get anywhere else. People come for the spicy chicken, chicken tenders, red beans and rice and cajun rice and buttermilk biscuits." He emphasized that "The big thing for us is the hospitality side of it. We really try and concentrate on the service end. You'll hear one of our people say 'Good Afternoon' and the whole crew will respond 'Welcome back to Popeyes'," the goal being to make the dining experience fun as well as tasty. Part of that is featured beverage Strawberry soda which is a popular drink in the south said Downs.
The new location will employ 78 people Downs said, which will be a big boost for the community. The hours are 10am to 11pm
Popeye's has 2600 locations around the world in 30 countries. Popeyes serves chicken dishes in mild and spicy flavors and offers sides such as Red Beans and Rice, Cajun fries, mashed potatoes with Cajun-style gravy, and Cajun rice. As well as fried chicken, other entree items include a chicken-and-sausage jambalaya and po' boy sandwiches.
