Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen — Restaurant in Coralville

Ordered 4 boxes of $5/3pcs "signature" chicken. Despite one custy in the restaurant & only one other custy getting pre-ordered takeout during the 12 minutes I was there, counter staff couldn't wait long enough for me to state my order, & therefore argued w/me about what did/didn't come w/my order & whether or not I could specify all white or all dark meat before FINALLY listening to me as I stated my order for the third time. She angrily yanked the ticket, crumpled it, & threw it in the garbage, then voided that sale & started entering in the CORRECT order, while muttering under her breathe about "people need to learn how to order properly." At this point, I decided to mildly defend myself & said "I ordered correctly, you were just in too big of a hurry to bother LISTENING to me, THATS why you got my order wrong." She then denied having gotten the order wrong, Told me that I couldn't order each box as all white or all dark & when I offered to pull up the deal on my phone to show her that, when ordering online, one must specify regular or spicy, & white or dark to be able to even add the item to your cart, she responded, "Nope. We don't let you customize like that here." I asked her what pieces are SUPPOSED to go in a box, & she redponded that "We dont have a specific order; its just random what goes into the box," so I said, "Oh, so if you dont like a certain customer, then you could just 'randomly' give them three wings?" which got me a dirty side-eye. I started to tell her that I had hoped to make one of the boxes just straight drumsticks, to which she replied that that was "too bad, cuz we only got one leg." She starts putting pieces into the first box, then stops & says "There's only one wing-what do you want instead?" I didn't bother pointing out to her that that was a dumb question, since she'd just told me that the selection in each box was "random", I just told her I'd prefer a leg. She tells me that they're out of legs, too, & since it was gonna be "at least 12 minutes before they drop," I would need to pick something else. I told her I'd wait. Four minutes later, she...

UPDATE 2: THIS POPEYE'S IS OPERATING UNLICENSED, per Des Moines Register Article published 9/25/25

UPDATE: Ordered on the app recently and had a horrendous experience. Literally the only thing they got right was my Fries. I ordered a Hot Ones boneless wing meal with the Last Dab sauce and a lemonade. When I asked for my order, I mentioned I had a drink and the guy said "are you sure?" I said yes and verified it was even printed on the receipt attached to the bag he handed me. I got the drink and drove home... only to find my boneless wings were bone-in, and they gave me the Sriracha sauce instead. I drove back, and was told they don't have boneless wings - despite that also being printed on the receipt. That should have at least been mentioned before I left the first time instead of just giving me the wrong item. I was able to swap out for the Last Dab sauce, at least (which was also correctly listed on the receipt.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: I've now been here a couple times since it opened and have had the same experience both times.

The drive through is unbelievably slow for 'fast food'. After a long wait the first time, I started a timer on my second trip. From pulling up to the speaker to leaving with my food was 12 minutes. This was not during peak hours, was only a single meal, and wasn't anything unusual. This also doesn't include the 5 minutes I waited to pull up to the speaker, and that was with only one car in front of me. To be fair, I haven't been inside so I can't comment on those times.

The pricing is also a little high for fast food. A 5 piece tender meal (1 side and biscuit) with a large drink was $12.82! You can get cheaper meals at full service restaurants...

As far as positives go, the food tasted good (although never came out very hot) and the service was friendly enough. The kitchen also seems clean, although it is brand new, so it should be.

Overall, it's a better option than the Iowa City KFC, but still isn't an amazing option in the grand scheme of things. With it being a new restaurant, there's still hope that the speed of service and food temperatures...

Edit 8/20/24: Two years later and very little about this place has improved. They are still seemingly incapable of getting an order correct, even when it's placed online, so there should be no concern about anyone 'misunderstanding' what was said.

And the food this last time was... subpar, to say the least. The chicken strips were more breading than chicken, and you really had to dig to find the chicken.

Very disappointing as I was so hopeful when they first opened, but this place continues to exceed my threshold for disappointment.

This is a horrible restaurant with rude employees and a history of inaccurate orders.

Rarely was my order correct, which is impressive as I always order online so there should be no misunderstandings. My order is always basic, no alterations. But it is never right. There is always something missing.

I gave it one last try this evening and I will never be back. Ordered my normal chicken strip meal we always get. Placed the order online before I left work. I have an approximately 20 minute drive. I get there and am informed I have to go inside. No, I will not. I recently had COVID, and Johnson county has high numbers. Apparently this is policy, though this is the first time since they opened that I have encountered this. I am not going inside. I inform them they can bring it to my car and I will park by the door.

20 minutes. Nothing. So I left and requested a refund by talking to Twitter support as I am now refusing to deal with this store. I want my money back. I am still waiting for that resolution.

Horrible, horrible store. Rude employees. I try my best to be friendly and understanding. But too many incorrect orders, rude and useless staff... My patience is gone.

Save your money and your frustration and...