 |
|
|
|||||
The hits keep coming for fans of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen. According to a new court filing from a major franchisee, three additional Popeyes restaurants have permanently shut their doors, bringing the total number of store closures associated with the franchisee’s ongoing bankruptcy proceedings to at least 20. The franchisee, Sailormen Inc. of Miami, Florida, sought Chapter 11 protection earlier this year, citing diminished foot traffic and high inflation. In January, it closed 17 Popeyes restaurants in Florida and Georgia as part of the bankruptcy process, Fast Company previously reported. The additional three restaurants disclosed this week are all based in Georgia. According to a March 10 filing from Sailormen, all three were closed before its January bankruptcy petition. The company is now seeking to reject the leases on the three properties. Before its bankruptcy, Sailormen operated over 130 Popeyes restaurants. It was not immediately clear how many jobs have been lost as a result of the 20 store closures. At the time of its petition, Sailormen said it employed just over 3,300 employees, the vast majority of whom were hourly workers. It’s also unclear if additional restaurants will close. Sailormen did not respond to requests for comment. Which Popeyes restaurants have closed? According to a March 10 court filing, the following three Popeyes stores have closed: 1817 Glynn Ave, Brunswick, GA 31520 628 W Parker St, Baxley, GA 31513 419 S Church St, Homerville, GA 31634 The closures are in addition to 17 restaurants in Florida and Georgia that Sailormen said it closed in January. Why is Popeyes struggling? Restaurant Brands International (RBI), parent company of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, has downplayed Sailormen’s bankruptcy, stating that its underperforming locations are not indicative of the fried chicken chain’s appeal or its performance within the broader fast food market. However, Popeyes has arguably failed to keep pace with fast-growing chicken chains like Wingstop and Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, both of which are popular with Gen Z. Last month, RBI reported that Popeyes sales were down almost 5%, its fourth consecutive quarterly decline. In an earnings call, CEO Josh Kobza outlined plans to revive the brand with improved marketing and in-store coaching at low-performing locations. Popeyes had just under 3,200 locations in the United States and more than 5,400 globally as of December 2025.
Category:
E-Commerce
Fast Company will be back in Austin, Texas this March 1316 for its 13th annual Fast Company Grill at South by Southwest. Hosted at Cedar Door Patio Bar & Grill in downtown Austin, attendees can expect four days packed with engaging programming, networking opportunities, activations and raffles, delicious food and drinks, live musical performances, and exclusive parties. We have a compelling lineup of speakers joining us, including: Ben Cohen, Cofounder, Ben & Jerrys John Stamos, Actor, Producer, Author, and Chief Innovation Officer, Zeam RJ Scaringe, Founder and CEO, Rivian Lana Condor, Actor, Pretty Lethal Maddie Ziegler, Actor, “Pretty Lethal Jen Zeszut, Cofounder and CEO, Goodles Elyse Cohen, Chief Impact Officer, Rare Beauty; President, Rare Impact Phoebe Gates, Cofounder, Phia Sophia Kianni, Cofounder, Phia Andy Pearson, VP of Creative, Liquid Death Anthony Wood, CEO, Roku Stef Strack, Founder and CEO, Voice in Sport David Lafitte, President and CEO, Tecovas Prashanth Chandrasekar, CEO, Stack Overflow Amy Webb, CEO, Future Today Strategy Group Throughout the event, well host happy hours featuring live music performances from talented up-and-comers, including the winner of The Voice Season 28 Aiden Ross, former American Idol contestant Maurice the Music, Latin R&B artist Henao, and Josh Abbott of the eponymous Texas-based band. For the first time ever, Fast Company is partnering with Texas A&M University to present In Good Company on March 16, a day of programming that recognizes and celebrates companies making an outsized impact in their respective sectors. In partnership with live illustration company Secret Walls, Texas A&M will also bring to life an interactive art experience at the Fareground Austin parking lot, across the street from the Fast Company Grill. Attendees are invited to collaborate on the projecta custom design for a flagship mobile clinic to be used by BUILD, a Texas A&M student organization focused on deploying mobile care to those in needwith a renowned muralist. If youre not already a Fast Company premium subscriber, nows a good time to sign up in order to receive fast-tracked access to the Fast Company Grill, specialty cocktails, and the ability to enter a daily raffle for exciting prizes from Dagne Dover, SharkNinja, Homecourt, and Tecovas. Speaking of Tecovas, Fast Company Premium subscribers are also invited to a a special afterparty at the Western apparel brands South Congress store on March 15 for cocktails, live music from country singer Cory Cross, custom iron branding and hat shaping, and discounted in-store shopping. Spots are limited, so be sure to sign up now. To register for the Fast Company Grill, visit our event website. A special thanks to Fast Company Grills sponsors: Texas A&M, Adobe, Bristol Myers Squibb, Capital One Business, IHG Hotels & Resorts, National Cryptocurrency Association, PwC, and Solo Stove. See you in Austin!
Category:
E-Commerce
President Donald Trump plans to visit Ohio and Kentucky on Wednesday to argue that his policies can steady an economy facing shock waves from the war on Iran and to try to defeat one of the few congressional Republicans who has dared to defy him.In Cincinnati, the Republican president is touring Thermo Fisher Scientific, a pharmaceutical company. There, he’ll tout efforts to lower prescription drug prices, a key part of his attempts to show his administration is focused on making the cost of living more affordable for many Americans ahead of November’s midterm elections.After that, Trump will visit a logistics packing facility in nearby Hebron, Kentucky, part of the district of Rep. Thomas Massie. Trump is backing a primary challenger to Massie.The trip presents a test of Trump’s ability to cleanse his party of those who oppose him but also to try to stay on an economic message increasingly strained by the military action launched by the U.S. and Israel against Iran. He’ll be “talking about the economy, which is, of course, the utmost importance to him,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.Polls showed that Americans were increasingly wary of Trump’s handling of the economy even before the conflict with Iran began, and fighting there has derailed Trump’s messaging, as the low gas prices he once bragged about are now surging and stocks that had set record highs have slipped.Employers also cut an unexpectedly high 92,000 jobs in February, and revisions trimmed another 69,000 jobs from December and January payrolls which the White House had previously hailed as “blockbuster.”None of that has stopped Trump from continuing to insist the country is booming and blaming the Democrats for everything else.“They’re the one that caused the problem,” he told a House Republican meeting in Florida on Monday. “But we’re really bringing down prices big.”Democrats offer a sharp contrast to Trump’s depiction of the nation, arguing that costs remain high for many Americans more than a year into his second term and that families are still struggling under his policies. Trump’s affordability tour meets his opposition to Massie After Democrats won the Virginia and New Jersey governors’ races in November, the White House announced that Trump would travel the country to show that he’s taking kitchen table issues seriously and reassure voters nervous about still-rising prices and economic growth.Since then, the president has made stops in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina and Texas though his speeches sometimes have been more focused on his own political grievances than his plans to try to help lower everyday costs around the country.This trip, however, marks the first time this primary cycle that Trump has sought to keep promises to punish members of his own party who oppose him on key issues. The president has endorsed Ed Gallrein, a farmer, businessman and retired Navy SEAL, who is running against Massie in Kentucky’s Republican primary on May 19. Trump and Gallrein will appear together on Wednesday.Massie is an outspoken Trump critic who opposed the White House-backed tax and spending measure and bucked Trump by pushing to have files related to the sex trafficking investigations into Jeffrey Epstein released. He’s also opposed the U.S. strike on Venezuela that toppled then-President Nicolás Maduro and, most recently, the war in Iran.“This isn’t America First,” Massie posted on X on Sunday, blaming the war for causing gas prices to jump. Will Weissert, Associated Press
Category:
E-Commerce
All news |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||