Little River, SC  |  June 22, 2026  |  By Thomas Beach Vacations Staff

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Coming to Little River as Impeccable Restaurant Group Expands Along the Grand Strand

One of the Carolinas’ fastest-growing franchise operators is planting its next flag in Little River, adding Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen to a busy Highway 9 East corridor already drawing new restaurants, grocery anchors, and thousands of new residents.

Little River is getting a taste of Louisiana. Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen is set to open a new location along Highway 9 East in Little River, operated by Impeccable Restaurant Group — the Carolinas-based franchise company that has been steadily building one of Horry County’s most recognizable quick-service footprints. An exact opening date has not been announced, though the company has posted hiring notices for the location.

The new restaurant will sit directly in front of a Food Lion and Tractor Supply Co. on a corridor that sees more than 42,000 vehicles per day, according to Impeccable Development, the real estate arm of the organization. It will open alongside a Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers and a Del Taco as part of a multi-tenant quick-service development that Impeccable broke ground on at the site. The surrounding retail corridor already includes Dunkin’, CVS, AT&T, and Bojangles, and more than 1,800 homes are under construction within a two-mile radius.

Impeccable’s Growing Presence in Horry County

Impeccable Restaurant Group has moved quickly across the Grand Strand since entering the market. The company opened its first area Popeyes at 2123 U.S. Highway 501 in Myrtle Beach in October 2024, built to the brand’s latest prototype design featuring double drive-thru lanes, self-order kiosks, mobile ordering integration, and digital pickup shelves. A second location followed along Highway 501 between Conway and Myrtle Beach in December 2025, and a third opened on Highway 544 near Coastal Carolina University in Conway on January 9, 2026 — each paired with a side-by-side Freddy’s location developed by the same group.

The Little River opening will add another address to what has become a deliberate push up the northern end of the Grand Strand. Rob Tanner, franchise owner for Impeccable Restaurant Group, has said publicly that the company’s strategy centers on high-traffic corridors that serve a mix of residents, students, and visitors — exactly the profile that the Highway 9 East corridor in Little River presents as the surrounding communities continue to grow.

What the Addition Means for Northern Grand Strand Visitors

Little River sits at the northern tip of the Grand Strand, just minutes from the beach communities of Cherry Grove Beach and Ocean Drive in North Myrtle Beach. For families renting oceanfront homes or oceanfront condos in the northern sections of the beach — including Crescent Beach and Windy Hill — the Highway 9 corridor is a natural errand route, and a Popeyes in that direction means one more convenient option for a quick bite between beach days.

Popeyes serves its signature Louisiana-seasoned bone-in and boneless chicken, handcrafted tenders, chicken sandwiches, red beans and rice, and a rotating lineup of Cajun-influenced sides. The newer prototype locations built by Impeccable have consistently featured the brand’s updated digital-first layout, which tends to move drive-thru lines faster than older configurations — a practical detail for a vacation area where time at the beach takes priority.

Sources: Impeccable Development (impeccabledevelopment.com); My Horry News; Post and Courier / Myrtle Beach; WFXB News; LoopNet commercial listing (2527 Hwy 9 E, Little River, SC). Reporting reflects information available as of June 22, 2026. An exact Popeyes Little River opening date had not been announced at time of publication.