Has the headquarters of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen quietly slipped out of town? All signs point to an under-the-radar departure, but it is hard to know for sure since repeated attempts to reach company officials have produced nothing but crickets.
An apparently depleted staff is in the company’s Dunwoody offices off Ashford Dunwoody Road and employees told a reporter the headquarters is moving to Miami and the remaining workers – several dozen of them – expect to be laid off this summer.
They said that that some executives have been traveling back and forth between Atlanta and Miami, while some are already based there.
Meanwhile, the company is advertising for a number of administrative and executive positions in Miami. Among them: a manager of its international supply chain, an attorney on the issue of intellectual property, a manager of communications and a head of franchise operations.
A move to Miami would make corporate sense.
In February 2017, Popeyes was purchased for about $1.8 billion by Restaurant Brands, which has reported annual sales of more than $29 billion. The Canadian-based company owns more than 23,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries.
Among the company’s brands are Tim Hortons and Burger King, which are based in Miami.
But calls and emails to the parent company – like those to Popeyes officials – have not been returned.
Moreover, officials in economic development at the Dunwoody Chamber of Commerce said they knew nothing about a move. They referred questions to the leasing agent for the building, who did not respond to a call.
Popeyes was founded in 1972, its offerings centered on New Orleans-style fried chicken. The company had been known as AFC — for America's Favorite Chicken — until it changed its corporate name in 2014. The chain now has about 2,700 restaurants.
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