By RICARDO WELLS
Tribune Staff Reporter
rwells@tribunemedia.net
LONG lines of traffic caused by the flood of customers to the newly-opened Popeyes restaurant on Prince Charles Drive prompted police officers to make a special effort last night to ease the congestion.
According to police, there has been public outcry over “routine traffic issues” spurred by long drive-through lines at the fast-food franchise at various times of the day and night. Popeyes opened last week ago and has attracted an unexpectedly large number of customers.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Stephen Dean led a team of officers to the restaurant last night to minimise traffic caused by the restaurant. He indicated that law enforcement officials have been inundated with complaints by motorists who use the route to travel home in the evening, many suggesting that the restaurant’s long lines have led to them battling traffic longer than usual.
“No one has the right to block the flow of traffic,” said ACP Dean. “As much as we appreciate the business and what it means for our local economy, no one has the right to block the flow of cars through a thoroughfare. We at the RBPF wanted to make the effort this evening to come out and make sure that motorists are able to travel unimpeded.”
Chris Tsavoussis, president of Aestos Holdings, Popeyes’ parent company, said outside the restaurant that while executives expected consumers to flock to the eatery during its opening weeks, “no one could predict the load we have experienced to this point”.
“We are trying to work with it. It’s hard to say how much longer we can expect this kind of traffic, until everyone comes in, tries it, tastes it and it goes from there. We have tried some things to modify the drive-through and to see if we can get more cars in here.”
According to Mr Tsavoussis, the restaurant features the largest drive-through space in the country, capable of holding 27 cars at one time.
“As a business owner and as a business group nobody has this size parking lot. Our parking lot is twice what the Ministry (of Works) requires. Our drive-through is two times, maybe three times what the Ministry (of Works) typically requires,” he said.
“You go down to any fast-food (restaurant) and you look and see how many cars they have allocated for - some are six cars and others are eight cars. We have 27 here.”
Mr Tsavoussis estimated that since its opening, Popeyes caters to roughly 1,000 customers daily.
Aetos Holdings also owns and operates local burger and pizza giants Wendy’s and Marco’s Pizza.
Comments
sealice 8 years, 11 months ago
it's called 'driving without due respect to other motorists"... and all bahamians are guilty of it on a daily basis from the "kind" persons who insiste on letting everyone out 150' in front of the green light changing to yellow, and everyone who gotta stop in the middle da flippin road to hail dey boy, and the bloody Jitneys they are specialists at this crap.... but stopping in the street cus the line is that long and then not giving a shit that you are blocking the road for a mile.... is pure: pure i don't give a shit about anyone but me and my stomach... put the chicken in it NOW!!
TruePeople 8 years, 11 months ago
bey is too much damn car on too small a damn island
EnoughIsEnough 8 years, 11 months ago
i am boggled that Bahamians are willing to sit in line for such long periods of time for chicken! and not even healthy chicken. they'll spend an hour in their car or longer to wait for this, but they won't take an hour out of their day to march in opposition of VAT, for stronger crime prevention, for better education, for cleaner air - what a very sad reflection of the country and its people. it's CHICKEN, for crying out loud!! your ma's probably cook a hell of a lot better. get your friggin' priorities straight....
ohdrap4 8 years, 11 months ago
they practicing to learn how to stand in line when NHI starts
gangof4 8 years, 11 months ago
Couldn't have said it any better myself.
stislez 8 years, 11 months ago
Miseducated about wat food is. Look at my people Jed............your food supposed to be your medicine people, eat to live not live to eat. When you don't know yourself or history farther than christopher columbus or religion, this is wat you get.......................sometimes I wunda if people understand their own body or bout acid an alkaline or even something simple as don't matter wat religion you is or how holy or spiritual you is, the only thing wat gone give you life an sustain your life wat god give you is food, not just any food, food from the earth, healthy food, alkaline food. Another thing i is be wunderin bout is why yall eat meat wen the animals what yall eat dont at meat, so what meat doing for your body again? Think about that!
TalRussell 8 years, 11 months ago
Comrades who would have predicated free enterprise touting red shirts would be turning their guns on two enterprising brothers selling they chickens.
ThisIsOurs 8 years, 11 months ago
I love the police, but seriously? For the past two weeks when people were screaming for at least one traffic policeman to take charge of the chaos, not one could be found. Nassau only so big. Then last night we get three superintendents and three motorcycle police for a line that disappeared by itself??? Seriously????? It was clearly just a PR initiative. The long lines seem to have eased up, I guess most people had a taste and see no reason to spend two hours in line for a Kentucky-like piece of chicken.
ThisIsOurs 8 years, 11 months ago
It's not the size of the parking lot that's the problem, it's the fact that they gave a permit for your business to directly access a highway. I can't think of another establishment set up like that.
Speaking of which what is going on at the Ministry Of Works??? How did A webshop get a permit to set up in a residential zone AND at a MAJOR intersection?? You have to ask yourself if the person approving these permits is mentally challenged. Traffic backups and the interruption to traffic flow from the numerous cars that will slow down to enter the parking lot and that will exit trying to scoot into oncoming traffic, are predictable...my God...who does the thinking???
sansoucireader 8 years, 11 months ago
The POPEYE'S situation reminded me of the WENDY'S Mackey Street and McDONALD'S Palmdale situations too. They've been blocking up the roads for years now! Also, are you talking about the former Newbold home on Prince Charles which is being turned into a CHANCES webshop/casino (whatever they're called)? Yes, another opportunity for more traffic-chaos.
ThisIsOurs 8 years, 11 months ago
Yes to the Prince Charles and Village road webshop, that is just baffling. And right after Mr Wilchombe said he was going to put a cap on the number of webshops outlets and enforce zoning.
Re: Wendy's and McDonalds, the traffic backs up yes, but there are other arteries that you can use to bypass the traffic. On Prince Charles it's fast moving traffic and there's no where to go
sansoucireader 8 years, 11 months ago
Yes, I know about the Prince Charles traffic, blocked lanes, DW Johnson students all over the sidewalks etc. as I live in the east too. Have been using Eastern Road and Fox Hill to avoid the entire area. The first few days the traffic was almost to the Shell gas-station; such a lack of planning.
ThisIsOurs 8 years, 11 months ago
Students all over the sidewalks:), you mean the middle of the road. I said years ago that the state of our nation could be determined by the way we use the roads. I'd begun to see a troubling trend of "adults" just willy nilly crossing the road anywhere they pleased, not caring if they had clearance to cross or not. The worst I saw was the lady who crossed the newly widened Marathon mall intersection diagonally, no hesitation. That said to me that these people respected nobody. The students are also troubling because they're brainless. They can't fathom life a year away much less a wet road, brakes failing, tires with no traction, a distracted driver, the car behind the one they can see not stopping in time, paralysis.
The traffic police showed up two weeks after the Popeyes problem surfaced. It's about 10 years now that this road use issue has been festering, pedestrians, drivers, roadside vendors and signage. They need to get all of those under control. Start teaching these kids to cross the "pedestrian crossway" at intervals. Give a ~minute of crossing time and then make them wait for cars to pass. Teach them impulse control.
ThisIsOurs 8 years, 11 months ago
What 's weird about this is, it's not as if it's never happened before, they had this problem at the Mall at Marathon. Eventually, they had to lengthen the feeder road to lessen the traffic backup from Robinson Road and the highway. This was predictable. Fast moving traffic should have had a way to exit the main road without coming to a complete stop. They're going to have the same problem at new Chances location on Prince Charles when it opens.
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