After Fire, Eatontown Popeye's Will Rebuild In Same Spot On Rt. 35

EATONTOWN, NJ — Truly like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the Eatontown's Popeyes is coming back, and will soon be serving more fried chicken on the same spot where it was destroyed in a fire last summer.

The Eatontown Zoning Board just approved an application from Popeye's to rebuild and reopen at the exact same spot where it burned down last July, on Rt. 35 at Broad Street, the Asbury Park Press reported Monday.

The new Popeye's will be smaller than the old one, and will have two drive-through windows. An opening date has not been revealed. Construction hasn't even started yet; the Zoning Board just approved their application.

The Popeye's was destroyed last summer, in a fire that broke out at 5 a.m. July 5, 2024. The fire started on the roof and consumed the whole interior of the fast-food restaurant.

It was Eatontown police officers on a routine patrol who smelled smoke and first noticed the Popeye's was on fire.

"Either the restaurant did not have fire alarms, or they did not go off," said Eatontown Police Det. Lt. Edward Nelson at the time. "It was officers on a routine patrol who smelled smoke in the area, investigated and found that the roof of the Popeye's was on fire."

Last July: Smoke Alarms Did Not Go Off In Eatontown Popeye's Fire, Police Say (July 5, 2024)