By Staff
HOW IT'S DONE Shawn Spence, 27, an employee of Popeyes' Bonita location for four years, drops breaded chicken into the fryer. "I like to work," says Spencer. The restaurant is celebrating its 10th year in business in Meridian. Photo by Anna Wright / The Meridian Star.
By Ashley McPhearson / staff writer
June 22, 2003
A decade ago, Faith and Gary Vaughn moved from Madison to open Meridian's first Popeye's Chicken and Biscuits with only themselves and one other employee, Edna Mauldin, to handle the business.
Today, with two restaurants and 80 employees, the Vaughns have Popeyes franchise rights in the Meridian area and have become mainstays in all varieties of community activities.
As they celebrate the 10th anniversary of their first restaurant in Meridian, which opened in 1993 at Bonita, they are finding that the food has a ready clientele. Their second restaurant is on Highway 19 North.
Active in community activities, the Vaughns sponsor softball teams and donate to schools. They traditionally have a School Night Out, where a percentage of profits go to the schools.
On the business front, Faith Vaughn takes care of most of the advertising and the community involvement, while Gary Vaughn helps in supervising the stores and does the "book work."
The Vaughns have three children Clayton, 19, Christie, 17, and Sam, 5.