DUNKIRK — Why did the chicken cross the parking lot? To catch a chick flick, of course.

Town of Dunkirk Planning Board members this week approved the site plan for a proposed 2,532-square-foot Popeyes restaurant to be built in front of the Dunkirk Multiplex on Bennett Road. Approval on Wednesday from the board, along with its recommendation, now go to the Dunkirk Town Board that acts as the lead agent for all site plan approvals.

Town Board members next meet at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 25. Final approval may be given after a public hearing is held.

As first reported by the OBSERVER, the Bellrose, New York-based Liberty Restaurants previously submitted information for a new Popeyes restaurant. Brett Steenburgh, an engineer working on behalf of Liberty Restaurants, submitted the paperwork to the town Planning Board in February and spoke to the board during their March meeting.

The proposed site, first thought to be next to the plaza, is at the former oil change business in front of the Movieplex.

Reached for comment, a Liberty Restaurants spokesman told the newspaper in a statement, “We are working through the town approval process at the moment, but we would love to be open as soon as possible delivering the best chicken brand out there to the people of Dunkirk and beyond. We will have more information on hiring and employment as we move closer to being fully approved!”

As noted in the description of the project, the developer is looking to build a new Popeyes restaurant with a double lane drive thru on the half-acre parcel just off Bennett Road.

Steenburgh told town Planning Board members in March that the restaurant would seat 24 customers. Concerns were discussed over pedestrian and drive thru traffic as well as drainage at the site.

The town’s code enforcement officer told Steenburgh in March that the state Department of Transportation would be involved with any curb cut on Bennett Road for vehicle entry at the point of the restaurant. Steenburgh said development would proceed, even without the curb cut.

Shari Miller, chair of the town Planning Board, said at the March meeting that her biggest concern was traffic backing up onto Bennett Road. She said she preferred no curb cut, with traffic coming from the established entrance to the plaza.

Locally, the nearest Popeyes restaurant in New York is more than an hour away near Blasdell.

Liberty Restaurants is owned by developer Laddi Singh. He oversees numerous Popeyes, Burger King and Arby’s franchises in the region.