After sitting empty since February 2023, a restaurant space in Fairview is once again active.
Moderne Burger closed its location at 865 W Broadway in February 2023, spelling the apparent end to the once-popular local burger cafe.
Now the Tim Hortons there has a new neighbour: Popeyes.
The chicken company opened the franchise location just a few weeks ago, at the end of December 2024.
The two fast-food restaurants have separate doors and counters but share a dining space, as Moderne Burger did with Timmies in the past.
The fried chicken chain has continued its growth in the region with its fourth location in the city of Vancouver. It opened its first in 2023 at the CBC building (700 Hamilton St) in Downtown Vancouver. In Metro Vancouver, the chain now has more than a dozen spots.
While Popeyes is known for its Louisiana-style fried chicken with gravy and sides, the fast-food franchise caused a sensation a few years back with its fried chicken sandwich. The menu item generated long lines, supply shortages and — in one case — deadly violence south of the border. The sandwich made its way to Canada in 2020, after a brief pandemic-related delay.
The first Popeyes to open in recent history in Metro Vancouver was in Port Coquitlam; the restaurant made its debut back at the end of 2018.
Popeyes started in a suburb of New Orleans, Louisiana in 1972, and began as "Chicken on the Run."
It was a slow start for the chicken operation, and the owner folded it, then relaunched with a spicier recipe and a new name: Popeyes.
The chicken chain's first Canadian location was in Toronto, opening in 1984.
With files from Lindsay William-Ross
🍽 Find more delicious Metro Vancouver food and drink video stories by following V.I.A.'s Forking Awesome on TikTok and Instagram, and signing up for our Forking Awesome newsletter 📬 delivered fresh to your inbox every Thursday.
