Dubuque Eatery Sued for Operating Without Brand Authorization

The parent company of a popular fried chicken fast food chain is suing five former Iowa franchises across the state, who have been illegally operating under the company's name despite having their licenses revoked.

Those who have eaten at these five Iowa Popeyes locations may have unknowingly been chowing down on "counterfeit Popeyes," as The Des Moines Register puts it. All five locations are owned by the same man, Asif Poonja, an Illinois-based businessman, through his company Jam Equities, per the complaint.

Popeyes Locations Operating Without Brand Authorization:

The aforementioned complaint was filed on September 5th in Florida federal court. Poonja and Jam Equities have not responded in court, per The Des Moines Register, and no attorney is listed to represent them.

Jam Equities has operated four of the stores under franchise agreements with Popeyes since 2018. Those four Popeyes locations are in:

Cedar Rapids (3401 E. Avenue NW)
Coralville (750 Coral Ridge Ave)
Dubuque (4825 Asbury Rd)
Waterloo (4015 Lowe's Blvd)

Also involved in the lawsuit is the Des Moines location at 4140 Merle Hay Road, but is separate from the cluster of other restaurants since Poonja has owned that eatery since 2005. Popeyes stated that franchises are required to adhere to a litany of standards and procedures in order to operate.

These Popeyes Locations Recently Failed Inspections:

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Per The Des Moines Register, in October 2024, Popeyes sent warnings to the five Iowa stores, pointing out unspecified violations of "food safety and brand standards." All five locations did not conduct follow-up inspections, which led to Popeyes terminating their franchise agreements from the corporate level on August 29th.

Curiously, all five of the impacted Iowa Popeyes locations remain listed on the website's restaurant locator. It remains to be seen what happens to the Dubuque Popeye's and the four other locations in lieu of this lawsuit. For more information, visit The Des Moines Register's website, and read the formal complaint here.