Fast Food Chicken Restaurant in Dubuque Reportedly Closed Until Further Notice

CORRECTION: Popeye's in Dubuque will in fact not be closing, but is now open under new management. Their hours are 10:30am - 9pm.

Following years of below-average reviews and inconsistent service/hours of operation, a fast food chicken restaurant in Dubuque has apparently ran out of cluck.

On Thursday, March 27th, 2025, a Facebook user took to the Dubuque-centric "Voices from the Tri-States" group to reveal that the Popeye's location in Dubuque is closed until further notice, or possibly for good. The restaurant was located at 4825 Asbury Road in Dubuque, across from Asbury Plaza, and right before the Asbury city-line.

Beneath the aforementioned Facebook post are a plethora of comments lamenting the quality of service and food. It's never my preferred path, but in this case, I must be in agreement: opting to go to the local Popeye's for lunch or dinner was consistently a risky bet.

Every now and then, you'd be treated to speedy drive-thru service and a delicious, piping-hot meal. Other times, you'd be met with egregiously long wait-times. And then in some cases, like the last time I visited back in February, you'd arrive at around 11:20am and be told they weren't open (their listed hours said they opened at 10am).

Often, the Dubuque Popeye's was an unbearably frustrating experience. Compounding this was the fact that, since the COVID-19 pandemic, the restaurant's dine-in was closed, leaving the drive-thru as the sole option. There could be a car in front of you, or a full line. It didn't matter. Service was perpetually spotty.

Browsing several dozen Facebook comments, I clearly hold the majority opinion. Don't believe me? Check out the Google reviews, where the restaurant holds a pitifully low 3/5-star average rating. Better yet, pay a visit to the restaurant's Trip Advisor page, where you'll not only find a lowly 2/5-star average rating, but also that the eatery is ranked #19 in places in Dubuque for "Quick Bites."

That ranking doesn't seem too bad. Until you realize there are 19 places designated as "Quick Bites" in the city.

The Dubuque Popeye's could only be described as "sorry," more often than not. In a day-and-age where fast food prices are climbing high enough to rival most sit-down eateries, there is no place for mediocrity or poor service in the marketplace. Money is too tight, and people are too busy to put up with lousy.

Perhaps the Popeye's in Dubuque needs new management. Maybe the exceedingly popular Raising Cane's will come to town. Or quite possibly, Dubuque will see a second-life for Wingstop (my personal choice), the best fast food chicken you can find, in my humble opinion.