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A Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen franchisee is looking to open his latest location in Amityville on the property that was formerly Michelle’s 110 Diner at 756 Broadway (Route 110).
The Town of Babylon records retrieved by GreaterLindenhurst show Lalmir Sultanzada as the developer looking to build the new chicken spot.
Someone who answered the phone at Sultanzada’s corporation, Lal Restaurant Group, confirmed reports that Sultanzada opened his first Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen in 1989 after emigrating to the United States from Afghanistan in 1980 as a young man. He owns more than 75 of the New Orleans-style fried chicken and seafood chain restaurants.
Popeyes Louisiana Chicken is the second largest quick-serve chicken restaurant, behind KFC. According to the company’s website, the name is not derived from the famous cartoon sailor but was inspired by Gene Hackman’s character Popeye Doyle from the 1971 crime film, The French Connection.
Michelle’s 110 Diner closed sometime last year and has remained vacant since. A post on Facebook announced the diner reopening just after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted in 2021 but has since gone out of business.
Joseph Buzzell, a Melville-based attorney who is representing Sultanzada in his application with the Town of Babylon, said that the developer is currently in contract with the property owner of 756 Broadway, listed on the application as Wenning LLC.
Commercial real estate site Loopnet.com lists the property as a 4,029-square-foot building on a half-acre lot. The building was constructed in 1958 and renovated in 2003. The listed selling price is $1,550,000. There are currently 40 parking spaces. The property is on the corner of Route 110 and Lindy Avenue.
The application with the Town of Babylon says that Sultanzada is seeking to demolish the existing structure in order to construct a 1,823-square-foot, 12-seat restaurant with a drive-through. Plans calculate that the parking for the new restaurant will total 9 spaces plus an additional ADA accessible space (total of 10) with room in the drive-through to queue 10 cars.
Buzzell said that the zoning application with the Town of Babylon is getting close to being finalized.
“We’re coming into the home stretch,” he said.
Top: Popeyes popular chicken sandwich. (Credit: Facebook)
