MACON, Ga. — Several Central Georgia Popeyes locations have dark windows and empty parking lots instead of hungry customers wanting some of their signature fried chicken. Johnny Fuller said there's nothing like it.
"We gon' find some chicken if we have to go to Kroger but ain’t nothing like fast food," Fuller said.
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen has closed most of its doors in Central Georgia. According to signs on the store's doors, they say the closures are for maintenance.
So if you want some of the Louisiana inspired chicken, then you’re out of luck. According to Google Maps, over ten locations are temporarily closed. Ranging from Byron to Forsyth to Macon, multiple locations in Central Georgia have shut down.
The Popeyes store locator shows their only location in Central Georgia is at Robins Air Force Base, but that location is closed to the public.
"Hopefully it’s a makeover. They have pretty good chicken but you know like I say we don’t have any inside information other than the sign on the doors," Fuller said.
Locations in Macon and Warner Robins have signs up with the same message: they’re closed for maintenance.
All day, people were going through the drive thru waiting for someone to take their order. Fuller said he wishes the customers got a heads up.
"Nobody knew it was closed you know all of a sudden it just locked the doors and put a sign on the window," Fuller said.
Two regulars at the Northside Drive location in Macon said the signs went up last week. They said their lunch spot is pretty busy, but since it’s closed, a lot of the traffic has gone to the wing spot next door.
Fuller said people are going to miss their chicken spot.
"We love chicken and they was right there, and all of sudden we don’t have a chicken spot, but maybe it’s just maintenance hopefully it’s just maintenance," Fuller said.
Fuller said if Central Georgia loses its access to the Louisiana-style chicken, they’ll just have to keep clucking along.
"We’ll adapt. We’ll adapt. You know we’ll voice our complaints and keep moving we’ll have to," Fuller said.
We still don't have an answer on why they're closed or if or when they'll reopen. We reached out to Popeyes and to the Atlanta law firm that helped purchase the Central Georgia locations earlier this year. We have not heard back.