Popeyes was $400m in debt. Then, 1 genius move saved the founder.
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Published 2022-06-02
Amid the colorful hustle and bustle in New Orleans, a donut maker worked day and night to make ends meet.
He had come a long way from the days of when he was a poor kid, who was simply happy to have shoes for his feet.
Still, he couldnât help but look to the new restaurant down the street with envy. KFC. The popular fried chicken shop opened later and closed earlier but was doing four times the business when compared to his.
Beaten down and jealous, the donut maker decided to bet on himself and make his own fried chicken to compete with KFC. It was only until one mistake after another that he finally came up with a secret recipe that customers loved.
But, his risk it all mentality that led to his eventual success would bring on monumental debt: $400 million. Fortunately, one, ingenious move turned his luck around and allowed him to make $10 million a year â doing absolutely nothing.
This is the story of how a donut maker went from struggling to make ends meet to building and saving Popeyes: one of the most popular, billion-dollar chains in the world.
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All Comments (21)
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I have a Popeyes here in Canada BC. There is also a KFC. The Popeyes here as of 2022 is destroying KFC. Reason? Consistency. The KFC we have here has rapidly degraded and their quality is no longer what it used to be. The fried chicken at KFC is like... just dunked in oil and just doesn't taste like it used to. The Popeyes quality and flavor is what KFC was before KFC dropped in standards.
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What makes Popeyes simply taste better is the ingredients. From batter to lard to side order items. No cost-cutting like the competitors. Mashed potatoes from KFC shouldnât taste like purĂ©ed boxed instant mix, etc.
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âNot named after the Popeyes cartoonâ one minute later Popeye is in their commercial
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I don't know if it's exclusive, but I've noticed that military bases (at least Army and Air Force) tend to have Popeye's instead of KFC or other chicken chains. That's how I found out about them. When my dad was stationed in Seoul, Korea there was a Popeye's right across the street from our high school. I ate there quite often. When I was in the Navy, I found out that the bases I was stationed on did not have Popeyes. That made me sad.
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âAl was set on overtaking KFCâ Secret Formula
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I just had Popeye's today bc I was in a town that had one! Never disappoints!
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The recipe comes from both Cajun and Creole influences. Al Copeland also struck me as a larger than life kind of guy. I loved eating at his restaurant Copelandâs. It was Cajun/Creole but not fast food. people think he only ever ran Popeyes. Popeyes in Louisiana and the South in general tastes better. Iâm currently in the Midwest and itâs not good where I am. I wait until I visit my father and friends to eat it.
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I felt craving for chicken burger all of a sudden after watching this.
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Hook really deserves all the respect for getting reviewbrah in this videoâ€
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Your videos are really easy to follow and enjoyable to watch, thank you for uploading âșïž I always wait for your new videos
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(0:58) LOL! Doing absolutely nothing!? Wait til' Luigi hears this.
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I always thought it was named after the cartoon since I remember when I was in UAE as a child, there was a logo of the famous sailor man in their Popeyes's branch. Even the font is somehow similar to the cartoon.
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I tried the chick fila chicken sandwich with chick fila sauce is was so good but when I ate the Popeyes one I think Popeyes has the best chicken sandwich and im lucky that I was born in Louisiana and still live there because Popeyes is pretty much everywhere
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He genuinely sounds like a kind and amazing man!
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The sandwich has not tasted the same ever since they brought it back. The original sandwich pre sell out was the best chicken sandwich ever.
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I'd worked for Church's Chicken for some 20+ years, much of it during the takeover period by Al Copeland, Sr., and Popeye's. Even got "promoted" to training store manager and knew the concepts that both Church's and Popeye's used. Came across Al Copeland, Jr., at one of the former Church's store being converted to a Popeye's in far west Houston the summer of 1989, he was unhappy the way the internal setup of the kitchen/dining room was configured. Told the construction crew to tear down everything and start all over again. Due to the repeated delays of opening this former Church's store to Popeye's, most of the employees of that Church's store got fed up and decided to quit. It was a mess in having to hire more people all over again and train them. Al Copeland Sr., knew his stuff well, even bragged that he could go broke today, but still be a millionaire tomorrow.
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Popeye's has the recipes but they could use the management and quality control of Chick Fil A who makes twice as much money with half as many locations.
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R.I.P Al Copeland one of New Orleans greatest characters and ambassador's, Popeyes has NEVER been the same!!
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Nice job on the video. Something else Al did was put all his racing boats and other toys in a showroom and charge admission so people could get a closeup view of his amazing collection. Now itâs a business write off lol So many amazing stories I could tell but out of respect, Iâm keeping them to myself. Awesome guy!
