The Fate of the Unauthorized Dubuque Popeyes is Now Clear

In September 2025, Popeyes sued five former Iowa franchises across the state, who have been illegally operating under the company's name despite having their licenses revoked. All five locations are owned by the same man, Asif Poonja, an Illinois-based businessman, through his company Jam Equities.

Jam Equities has operated several of the stores under franchise agreements with Popeyes since 2018. Those locations are in:

READ MORE: Dubuque Eatery Sued for Operating Without Brand Authorization

• Altoona (3831 8th St SW)
• Cedar Rapids (3401 E. Avenue NW)
• Coralville (750 Coral Ridge Ave)
• Dubuque (4825 Asbury Rd)
• Waterloo (4015 Lowe's Blvd)
• Des Moines (4140 Merle Hay Road; that location was separate from the cluster of other restaurants Poonja owned, since he has owned that location since 2005)

Now, the fate of the Dubuque Popeyes location is clear. Poonja has six months to sell the business according to a settlement agreement, per the Telegraph Herald. He must sell the restaurants "to existing Popeyes franchisees or purchases eligible to become franchisees."

The settlement allows the Dubuque location to remain open via a temporary license through June 30th, 2026, in addition to seven other unauthorized locations in Iowa. Every location must be out from under the Jam Equities brand by the June date.

Following Popeyes' settlement with Jam Equities and Poonja, the case was dismissed in the U.S. District Court for Southern Florida. Poonja defaulted on the franchise agreements for the restaurants on at least three occasions in the past year, per Telegraph Herald.

In the lawsuit, Popeyes claimed the unauthorized locations violated the agreement due to "their failure to operate in accordance with Popeyes standards." The Dubuque eatery in particular failed a Popeyes inspection on August 1st, and a notice of franchise termination was sent on August 29th.

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Despite the warning, Poonja continued to have the Dubuque location, and the others, operate like normal. It's nearly the end of the line for that. In some ways, it's a shock the restaurants will continue to be open until they're sold.

READ MORE: How Flav's Fried Chicken Flew In and Out of Clinton, IA in Three Months

All five of the impacted Iowa Popeyes locations remain listed on the website's restaurant locator. It remains to be seen what happens to the Dubuque Popeyes and the four other locations in lieu of this lawsuit. Read more about the state of several Popeyes in Iowa on the Telegraph Herald's website.