Nearly 20 more Popeyes to close in Florida in franchisee bankruptcy
Nearly 20 more Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen restaurants are expected to close soon in Florida, in addition to a dozen shut down earlier this year.
Sailormen Inc., a Miami-based franchisee operating 136 locations across Florida and Georgia, failed to find a bidder for dozens of the fast-food fried chicken restaurants in a June bankruptcy auction, according to court documents.
"Those stores now constitute a burden on the Debtor's estate, and, as of July 1, 2026, the Debtor will no longer have the authority to use cash collateral to operate those stores," Sailormen said in a bankruptcy filing. Sailormen Inc. filed to be allowed to reject those store leases and vacate the premises.
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Initially, a judge approved lease rejections for only 18 of those unsold locations, including 15 in Florida, with the leases ending by June 30. On June 27, a cash collateral extension was granted with a longer list of 22 locations to be vacated.
Sailormen had already announced closures for 17 locations in Georgia and Florida, and added three more in March.
At the time of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, the company was in debt by nearly $130 million, according to court documents. The company blamed the move on the lasting impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation, and an "increasingly limited qualified labor force," as outlined in the documents.
Popeye's Florida locations changing hands
Sailormen has found buyers for 92 of its Florida locations, according to a court filing. That includes:
- Pulse Restaurant Group is acquiring 50 locations in Jacksonville, Pensacola, Tallahassee, and Tampa for $2.69 million. Pulse was established by Sailormen CEO David Damato, Nation's Restaurant News reported.
- RFI Ventures LLC is acquiring 23 Orlando-area restaurants for $2.5 million.
- 61 Biscuits LLC is acquiring three West Palm Beach locations for $1.11 million.
- The Popeyes corporate company will acquire 16 Miami-area locations for $9.6 million.
Which Popeyes in Florida have closed?
In a Jan. 26 court filing, Sailormen Inc, announced it was closing the following Florida locations. Google shows them as "permanently closed."
- Arcadia - 2729 SE Hwy. 70
- Chiefland - 1124 N Young Blvd.
- Fort Pierce - 1601 S US Hwy.
- Jacksonville
- 649 S McDuff Ave.
- 1833 Kings Road
- Keystone Heights - 200 Green Way
- Leesburg - 27740 US 27
- Macclenny - 812 S 6th Street
- Melbourne - 2015 N Wickham Road
- North Live Oak - 2005 Ohio Ave.
- Palatka - 175 S Hwy 17
- Tampa - 5156 S Dale Mabry Hwy.
Which Popeyes in Florida will be closing next?
The judge's order on June 27 included a list of 22 locations to be vacated, with a deadline of June 30, 2026.
The Florida list includes:
- Alachua - 15655 NW US Highway 441
- Bradenton:
- 3390 First Street
- 11840 SR 64 E
- Callahan - 450047 SR 200
- Cutler Bay - 18403 S. Dixie Hwy.
- Gainesville - 5695 NW 23rd Street
- Gulf Breeze - 3716 Gulf Breeze Pkwy.
- Jacksonville
- 1509 University Blvd.
- 7507 Atlantic Blvd.
- Lake City - 121 NW Main Blvd.
- Madison - 801 W Base Street
- Neptune Beach - 524 Atlantic Blvd.
- Orlando - 12131 S Orange Blossom Trail
- Oviedo - 230 West Mitchell Hammock Road
- Pensacola:
- 814 E. Cervantes Street
- 6401 N 9th Ave.
- Perry - 2161 S. Byron Butler Pkwy.
- St. Petersburg - 6329 Dr. ML King Jr Street N
- Starke - 1050 S. Walnut Street
C. A. Bridges is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida's service journalism Connect team. You can get all of Florida's best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Nearly 20 more Popeyes to close in Florida in franchisee bankruptcy
Reporting by C. A. Bridges, USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect
This story was originally published June 30, 2026 at 12:36 PM.