A familiar chicken chain is making another run at Burleson — and this project has actually been years in the making.
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen has registered plans for a new restaurant at 1488 Wilshire Boulevard, with construction scheduled to begin in late August. The new restaurant will span 2,536 square feet, with an estimated construction cost of nearly $1.5 million.
According to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation filing, crews are scheduled to complete the project by December 11, 2026. The filing describes the work as ground-up construction of a new Popeyes restaurant. View the TDLR project filing
However, this isn’t the first time Popeyes has targeted this property.
Popeyes Tried This Once Before
Back in 2023, plans surfaced for Popeyes to build at the same 1488 SW Wilshire Boulevard address.
At the time, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that the restaurant would replace a former used-car lot near the H-E-B shopping area. That version of the project carried an estimated construction cost of roughly $425,000, with work expected to take place during 2023. Read the original 2023 report
But the restaurant never materialized.
Now, more than three years later, Popeyes is back with a newly registered project at the exact same property — and the numbers look considerably different.
The newly filed restaurant carries an estimated construction cost of $1,473,182, more than three times the amount listed for the earlier proposal. The new filing doesn’t explain what changed between the two versions, so the increase shouldn’t necessarily be attributed to construction inflation alone.
What it does show is a substantially larger investment in getting this location built.
Burleson Has This One on Its Radar
There’s another reason this new filing carries more weight than the earlier proposal.
The City of Burleson currently includes Popeyes among its approved development projects, providing another layer of confirmation that the restaurant is moving through the development process. Explore Burleson’s development tracker
And for longtime Burleson residents, Popeyes itself isn’t entirely new.
The chicken chain previously operated another restaurant farther along Wilshire Boulevard before that location closed. When the 1488 Wilshire project was originally reported in 2023, it was already being described as a return to Burleson.
Three years later, that comeback may finally be getting another chance.
Wilshire Boulevard Is Already Packed With Restaurants
The location also drops Popeyes directly into one of Burleson’s established commercial corridors.
The property sits along Wilshire Boulevard near the H-E-B shopping area, surrounded by restaurants, retail and neighborhoods. The corridor already features several chicken-focused competitors, making the future Popeyes another addition to an increasingly crowded restaurant lineup.
In other words, Popeyes isn’t exactly sneaking into town unnoticed.
Its menu of fried chicken, tenders, biscuits and its well-known chicken sandwich will eventually have plenty of nearby competition.
When Will the New Burleson Popeyes Open?
For now, an official opening date has not been announced.
The TDLR filing lists construction from August 31 through December 11, 2026, but those dates represent the project’s anticipated construction schedule — not a guaranteed restaurant opening.
The project also remains listed as Project Registered, so Texas Construction Media will be watching for visible construction progress and any opening information released by Popeyes or the City of Burleson.
Still, after a previous attempt at this exact location failed to materialize, the combination of a new $1.47 million construction filing and the city’s development records makes this comeback considerably more interesting.
Three years later, Popeyes is taking another shot at Burleson.