One of Popeyes' largest franchisees is collapsing — and it's taking at least 20 restaurants down with it.
Sailormen Inc., a Miami-based operator running 136 Popeyes locations across Florida and Georgia, filed for Chapter 11 protection on January 15, 2026, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida. The company cited a familiar mix of post-pandemic ailments: rising inflation, declining customer traffic, and mounting debt of roughly $130 million.
The closures came in two waves. In January, Sailormen closed 17 Popeyes restaurants in Florida and Georgia as part of the bankruptcy process. Then a March 10 court filing revealed three more restaurants — at 1817 Glynn Ave in Brunswick, 628 W Parker St in Baxley, and 419 S Church St in Homerville, all in Georgia — bringing the confirmed total to at least 20. The additional three restaurants were all closed before the January bankruptcy petition, and the company is now seeking to reject the leases on those three properties.
The bankruptcy didn't happen overnight. Sailormen began having problems paying their bills as far back as 2022. A 2023 sale of 16 locations in Georgia fell through, which hurt its cash flow. The company last year also tried selling 32 locations in the Jacksonville, Florida area, but that deal never led to an agreement. The company had been sued by a number of vendors over unpaid bills, including a lawn care provider who said he wasn't paid for work done in 2024. In December 2025, lender BMO Bank sued Sailormen and sought the appointment of a federal receiver to take control of the company's business and assets.
The numbers in the bankruptcy filing are stark. Sailormen reported over $223 million in sales but posted a net operating loss of over $18 million in 2025. As of January 12, Sailormen's assets totaled $232 million while its liabilities amounted to $342 million.
At the time of the petition, Sailormen said it employed just over 3,300 people, the vast majority of whom were hourly workers. How many of those jobs have been lost as a result of the 20 closures hasn't been disclosed.
The fate of the remaining Sailormen locations is still uncertain. Chapter 11 bankruptcy allows companies to reorganize financially while continuing to operate, meaning many of Sailormen's remaining locations are expected to stay open as the restructuring process continues. For now, the future of more than 100 remaining restaurants in the franchisee's portfolio remains uncertain as the bankruptcy proceedings move forward.
Popeyes parent Restaurant Brands International pushed back on any suggestion that Sailormen's collapse reflects on the broader chain. Popeyes president Peter Perdue told the system that "a large majority of their restaurants are very profitable, in line with our system average," and that "Sailormen's announcement does not reflect the healthy unit economics" franchisees are experiencing. But the reassurances come at an uncomfortable moment. Popeyes' domestic same-store sales declined 4.9% in the U.S. last quarter — the fourth straight quarterly decline and the fifth of the past six periods.
RBI CEO Josh Kobza has been direct about the problem. "We know Popeyes is capable of much more, and we're taking decisive action to put the brand back on the right path," Kobza said. The chain increased its Popeyes field operations team by 75% and launched restaurant coaching visits, with a focus on "consistent speed, accuracy and reliability in every restaurant every day." In November, RBI tapped Peter Perdue, formerly Burger King's chief operating officer, to lead the turnaround — and Perdue overhauled the chain's senior leadership team almost immediately after taking the role.
The broader context makes things harder. Popeyes is navigating an increasingly brutal fast-food chicken market. Competitors like Wingstop and Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers have surged in popularity with Gen Z, squeezing legacy players for the same customers. Industry observers have described the current moment as a renewed "chicken wars" era.
Founded in 1987, Sailormen once built one of the largest franchise portfolios in the Popeyes system. At one point, the franchisee owned locations in other states, but between 2012 and 2018, it sold off its units in Illinois, Missouri, Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi to focus on growth in Georgia and Florida. That decades-long consolidation strategy — bet everything on two states — is now unwinding in bankruptcy court, three locations at a time.
