Popeyes sues Cedar Rapids, Coralville franchisee for using brand without authorization

Customers at a particular fried chicken fast food restaurant may want to double check before they “Love that chicken from Popeyes.”

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen is suing the franchisee of five of its Iowa restaurants, two of which are located in the Corridor.

A September lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court against franchisee Asif Poonja and Jam Equities, his limited liability corporations, allege that the five Iowa restaurants have continued to operate despite having their licenses to use the company’s brand revoked.

Poonja, an Illinois resident, operates the local restaurants at 3401 E. Ave. NW in Cedar Rapids and 750 Coral Ridge Ave. in Coralville. Other locations named in the lawsuit include restaurants in Waterloo, Dubuque and Merle Hay Road in Des Moines.

The lawsuit says that Popeyes corporate sent warnings to the five Iowa locations starting in October 2024 for failure to maintain “food safety and brand standards.” In August 2025, the suit says restaurants failed follow-up inspections, resulting in the termination of their franchise agreements.

Those agreements stipulate that franchisees return confidential business materials and cease use of all Popeyes logos and intellectual property. Popeyes is seeking an order to prevent Poonja and his LLCs from operating any Popeyes restaurants within a 10-mile radius for two years.

All of Poonja’s locations continue to remain open. It’s unclear if Poonja owns the Cedar Rapids location on Blairs Ferry Road NE.

Comments: Features reporter Elijah Decious can be reached at (319) 398-8340 or elijah.decious@thegazette.com.

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