Popeyes in Ealing Broadway will soon extend its opening hours to the early hours of the morning. Ealing Council’s Licensing Sub-Committee decided on Wednesday (December 18) to allow the restaurant to open until midnight Sunday to Thursday with deliveries until 1am, and until 1am on Friday and Saturday with deliveries until 2am.
Currently the restaurant is open until 11.59pm Monday-Sunday, including for deliveries. However, with the license granted, Popeyes will be able to deliver food to customers later at night and serve food later to customers in store until the early hours of the weekend.
Ann Chapman, president of the Ealing Civic Society, opposed the extension of opening hours and went so far as to accuse Popeyes of disrespecting Ealing with its request. At the licensing hearing, she said: “We would invite Popeyes to respect Ealing, which I’m afraid they don’t seem to be doing at the moment,” to which the Popeyes representative reacted with a surprised look.
In her representation, Ann also described fears of increased anti-social behavior by both delivery drivers and customers if working hours were to be extended. She said: “There is undoubtedly in the later hours of the evening the potential for people to gather… possibly when drinking, which can lead to anti-social behavior and public nuisance.”
She added: “Delivery drivers drive recklessly. They don’t notice traffic lights, they don’t always notice pedestrians.”
Returning her decision to approve the application, committee chairwoman Kim Kaur Nagpal said: “The committee was confident that Popeyes would trade within Ealing’s central opening hours, and the variety of times… would promote the night-time economy in Ealing.
“The panel considered that an additional delivery-only trading hour was unlikely to materially increase the problems caused by scooter deliveries because customers would order from another supplier instead of Popeyes.”
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