After late nights of partying, Collegetown Pizza has always been there to serve the Cornell community. The sad news that it will be relocating to Dryden Avenue upset many, but don’t cry too much, because a new restaurant is about to open on the corner of college and Dryden, and it’s going to be just as greasy.
Today, the city of Ithaca announced that it has found a tenant for spot in the legendary corner of Collegetown, and to the surprise of many, it is going to be occupied by a fast-food chain. Starting in August, the old CTP will be a Popeye’s Chicken and Biscuits and will be open until 2 a.m. With over 1,800 restaurants in the United States, they believed Ithaca was a great place to expand. CEO Cheryl Bachelder was quoted in a press conference on Wednesday saying, “Popeye’s is a delicious, healthy meal for college students. We offer a wide variety of items from fried chicken to deep-fried chicken and feel that the students will get a proper balance of fat, carbs, grease, and protein.”
With Jack’s Grill just down the street and other restaurants in the area, Popeye’s faces stiff competition. Caroline Murphy, a freshman in the school of Hotel Admistration, believes it will succeed. “Popeye’s is delicious, plain and simple. We study this in class all the time and while it may not succeed during the day, people will eat anything at night.”
We will see how Cornell receives the addition of Popeye’s to the Cornell community, but it will most likely be a boom or a bust. Buzz has been created and the Popeye’s chain is excited for the opportunity.
