Earlier this month, Popeyes franchise owners Cary and Faith Vaughn sold their two Meridian restaurants to Skip Russell of Magee-based Russell Restaurants.

Russell, who also owns six other Popeyes restaurants, took over for the Vaughns on Jan. 1. Plans are already under way to bring the stores “up to date, investing in the operation itself and his employees.”

Save for the 20 new employees hired this month to enhance customer service, no other staffing changes were made.

“All the managers are still in place, and we plan on keeping that way,” Russell said. “I was attracted to those stores from the beginning… [Cary Vaughn] was ready to retire, and he knew I was willing and able to buy.”

As of Friday, Russell said there are a total of 75 full and part-time employees at both stores.

“I’m so grateful to have been able to buy these,” Russell said. “What I bought was an extremely well-run company. All we’re doing is keeping up what [Mr. Vaughn] has done and bringing a few new things to the table.”

Russell opened his first restaurant in 2011 and has added at least one restaurant per year. He also plans to add one or two additional restaurantd by year’s end.

“We’ll continue to grow at a good, comfortable pace,” he said. “As I build my staffing, I am able to open more stores.”

After 25 years, Faith Vaughn said she is ready to retire, but the two Popeyes locations will be in good hands.

“Skip is a great Popeyes operator, and we can turn it over to a better-suited franchise,” she said. “Skip will be a good asset as far as staying involved in the community like we were.”

Faith Vaughn plans to stay involved with the restaurants for a short time to assist with various tasks. Beyond that, spending time with her grandchild is a priority, she said.

The Vaughns opened the restaurant’s Bonita Lakes Drive location in June 1993, and the College Park location about two years later. In that time, they have seen the business thrive, but the Vaughns are also known for their contributions to the community.

“We do the volume of four Popeyes, so we try to be involved … because the community has been good to us,” Faith Vaughn said.

One of the Vaughns’ community service programs is an annual food drive, which is co-sponsored by Little Caesars. Last year students and teachers at two dozen local schools collected 38,523 cans during the 13th annual Popeyes and Little Caesars Canned Food Drive – Fill the Mayflower. The Vaughns were also named SBA Small Business Owners of the year by the Small Business Adminstration in 1996, and were honored with the Marketer of The Year Award by Popeyes in 2008.