Popeyes Louisiana Chicken will keep its new restaurant open until 2am, despite opposition from local residents who fear the extended hours will lead to increased drug-dealing and drunken individuals loitering in the surrounding streets.
The US-based fast food franchise, which has steadily grown its presence in the UK capital since 2021, opened another outlet at a two-floor retail unit on Tottenham Court Road, on the Camden side of the border, in April.
Camden Council approved the bid to extend opening hours from 11pm to 2am from Monday to Sunday, amid staunch opposition from several neighbours who argued that it would result in more inebriated customers shouting, piles of takeaway rubbish attracting vermin, and a rise in “significant late-night revelry”.
Speaking on behalf of one group of neighbours, Shane Duffy warned the council that later hours would “erode the residential character of the local area” and encourage more late-night food outlets to open nearby.
Another resident, Kevin Fogarty, claimed the chicken shop would worsen the “major public nuisance [of] totally uncontrolled drug-dealing in this area”.
Neighbour Peter Secker objected to “social disturbance” but also raised Popeyes’ “history of litigation and dishonest practices and low quality food” as grounds for the council to refuse the application. He added that the restaurant’s “extremely large and bright” orange signage was out of place in the local area, “especially at night”.
The community group The Charlotte Street Association was also opposed, suggesting that customers would end up taking their boxes of chicken and chips into a nearby ‘pocket park’ on Bedford Avenue and cause a nuisance to sleeping residents in the small hours.
Popeyes originally wanted to keep doors open to the public until 5am, but the Metropolitan Police opposed this and said they would encourage the licensing authority to reject the application unless operating hours between 2am and 5am were strictly reserved for delivery orders and a door supervisor was put onsite after 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
However, the chain agreed to limit all operations until 2am after Camden’s licensing and environmental health teams laid this down as a condition, along with banning anyone with alcoholic drinks from entering the premises, and requiring staff to prevent takeaway drivers causing public nuisance, for instance, by leaving vehicles idling or parked on the pavement.
The council’s licensing panel approved the application at a hearing on Thursday, June 4.