The newest restaurant in Cortez is set to open its doors to chicken lovers on Friday, with a grand opening that starts at 10 a.m.

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen has overcome a delay caused by severe winter weather but has completed the new building and hired staff members.

The new Popeyes is owned by the same company that owns the Cortez Burger King, as well as owning Burger King and other Popeyes restaurants in Colorado, New Mexico and California.

Anthony Josephson, CEO and owner of JS Foods, has owned the Cortez Burger King for 30 years. They were aiming to open in May or June, and they will be opening right before the start of June.

In March, Josephson spoke of his excitement about opening another restaurant in Cortez, and that they hoped to hire 50 to 60 team members.

“We’re very familiar with the town, and when we were given the rights to develop Popeyes in New Mexico and Southern Colorado, it was the obvious choice for us to eventually build and develop a Popeyes in Cortez,” Josephson said. “We spent quite a bit of time trying to find the right property, and we’re excited to open in the next few months.”

“We’ve been in Cortez obviously for a long time. We’re very fortunate to be able to grow in the city, and this is part of our growth plan out there,” Josephson added.

Popeyes sits between Family Dollar and Sonic at 330 South Broadway.

“We are currently training the team,” Josephson said. “We’re excited to get this one open.”