Jill Schramm/MDN A sign designates the site where construction is occurring on a new Popeyes restaurant in Minot.

The franchise holder for a Popeyes restaurant in Minot is shooting for a late January or early February opening, with plans already taking shape for other Popeyes in North Dakota and South Dakota.

Construction has been occurring along 28th Avenue Southwest in Minot, just west of Broadway.

Harold Rose, who has owned Minot’s Papa John’s for about the past 10 years, has a long history with restaurants, having started with Papa John’s as a driver while in college. He’s been drawn to the restaurant life ever since.

“I think it’s more hands on,” he said. “If you have a good product, you’re making people happy.”

He admits the expansion from pizza to chicken is changing gears, but he believes North Dakotans can appreciate Popeyes’ cajun roots, which originated across the South, from Louisiana to Texas.

“North Dakota has so many people that have moved here from all across the U.S., so if they’re anywhere where there is a Popeyes, they already know. There’s a lot of people that haven’t tried Popeyes and so they’re kind of like, ‘What is this? What is this craziness going on about this Popeyes?’ So I think you’ll have some curiosity, but there’s also a very strong loyalty,” Rose said.

He also wanted to bring Popeyes to the region because he and his family enjoy the food.

“When we were looking to see what else we could kind of do in our own backyard to bring more opportunities for people, we saw there wasn’t a lot of chicken places,” he said. “We just thought with a high quality, really good chicken that we love already as a family that this would be a great opportunity to have everybody else enjoy the same experiences that we’ve had.”

North Dakota currently has two Popeyes under other ownership – one at Minot Air Force Base and one in Fargo – and Rose intends to build seven more. Rose is working to start construction on two restaurants, in Williston and Dickinson, in 2024 and has acquired land in Aberdeen, South Dakota. Future restaurants also are proposed for Bismarck, Grand Forks and another in Fargo.