![\"Popeyes\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/RID2W5EEDRHRNAKCS7A2XZUIOA.jpeg\")
According to the store locator map on the Popeyes website, there are three of its restaurants located on Staten Island as of Jan. 9, 2026.(Screenshot from Popeyes.com on Jan. 9, 2026)<\/p>\n
As the Richmond Valley location awaits its next chapter, the brand\u2019s own history<\/a> offers a reminder of its rapid rise. Popeyes traces its roots to New Orleans in 1972, when Al Copeland Sr. launched a small fried chicken shop called Chicken on the Run. According to the company\u2019s history<\/a>, after slow sales, he rebranded it as Popeyes, named after Popeye Doyle from The French Connection. The pivot paid off: by 1976, the company opened its first franchise and within nine years it had grown to 500 locations.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, its next\u2011door neighbor on Staten Island\u2014New York City\u2019s first Sonic Drive\u2011In, at 148 Page Avenue<\/a>\u2014closed over the summer after years of declining customer satisfaction and recent health inspection issues. Although the building was shuttered and covered in brown paper in August, a person affiliated with the restaurant said it was expected to reopen under the Sonic brand. The company did not respond to inquiries at the time. As of January, the site had not reopened and had fallen into disrepair, with garbage scattered across the property.<\/p>\n The location had a history of violations, including a 51-point inspection in 2024. Its most recent inspection, in July 2024, improved with a \u201cB.\u201d There was no indication the city had forced a permanent shutdown.<\/p>\n When Sonic opened in 2015\u2014hailed by Eater.com as \u201cway the hell out in Staten Island\u201d<\/a>\u2014the corner drew major crowds for the borough\u2019s first location, even though its debut had been delayed two years by construction stops, traffic studies<\/a>, and required roadwork. Hiring was aggressive<\/a>, with 100 to 150 positions advertised, including roller-skating carhops. Over time, enthusiasm waned, and online reviews<\/a> cited long waits and incorrect orders.<\/p>\n Sonic\u2019s origins date to 1953, when founder Troy Smith opened a drive-in in Oklahoma<\/a>. After partnering with entrepreneur Charlie Pappe, the pair rebranded as Sonic, inspired by the slogan \u201cService at the Speed of Sound.\u201d The franchise grew steadily, reaching 41 locations by 1967. By the mid\u20112020s, the chain was part of Inspire Brands, with more than 3,600 drive\u2011ins\u201495% of them franchise\u2011owned.<\/p>\n If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 Popeyes opened in the spring of 2023 and closed just before the new year,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":94772,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[9,24,63,134,136,135],"class_list":{"0":"post-94771","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-staten-island","8":"tag-new-york","9":"tag-new-york-city","10":"tag-nyc","11":"tag-staten-island","12":"tag-staten-island-headlines","13":"tag-staten-island-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94771","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94771"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94771\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/94772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Popeye's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/KBZJKOGOFZGBLKWRRADAPBKOAM.jpeg\")
The former Popeyes has been rebranded.(Advance\/SILive.com | Pamela Silvestri)<\/p>\n![\"Popeye's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AD6POG2TRRG3VDCAKHMCX7QF7Q.jpeg\")
Next door to the former Popeyes, the building that once housed Sonic is also vacant.(Advance\/SILive.com | Pamela Silvestri)<\/p>\n