LACEY TOWNSHIP, NJ – The Lacey Township Planning Board has received an application to convert the old Burger King at the Lacey Mall into a Popeye’s restaurant. A hearing is expected to be held on or after June 8th. Popeye’s has made a push to compete at the Jersey Shore in recent years with locations in Toms River, Neptune, Howell, Freehold and Marlboro.
Popeye’s is owned by Restaurant Brands International, also the parent company of Burger King and Tim Horton’s.
In August of 2020, Popeye’s made the strategic decision to begin competing head-to-head against the widely popular Chick-Fil-A chicken sandwich. The move was a success for the brand, becoming an instant hit when lines at its competitor often wrapped and weaved through parking lots.
The sandwich became so popular that there were instances of fights breaking out and at least one death was attributed to the madness surrounding the company’s new chicken sandwich. A Maryland man was stabbed outside of a Popeye’s last summer, allegedly for cutting into line to get the new chicken sandwich.