RACINE - A complete building renovation began this week at Popeye's Famous Fried Chicken & Biscuits, 920 Washington Ave.

Popeye's is closed during construction and expected to reopen Nov. 16, said Ruben Allen of Popeye's.

He said the $280,000 project will give the building a Bourbon Street (New Orleans) look, in keeping with the company's origins. The structure will be built up to create a false second floor with a balcony over the drive-through and other touches from New Orleans' French Quarter buildings.

The renovations will include some interior changes as well, Allen said.

The renovation is part of a corporation-wide program of changing all Popeye's restaurants, he said.

The franchise holder, Michael Aisbit, is paying for the work, Allen added.

According to the company Web site, Popeye's was started in 1972 by Al Copeland in a New Orleans suburb as Chicken on the Run.

Copeland renamed it Popeye's after the character Popeye Doyle in the film "The French Connection." He opened his first franchise Popeye's restaurant in Baton Rouge, La.

The chain has now surpassed 1,000 restaurants including the Racine Popeye's which opened in the early 1990s.

During its corporate lifetime, America's Favorite Chicken Co., also known as AFC Enterprises, acquired the Popeye's chain and moved the headquarters to Atlanta.