Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen — Restaurant in Palm Coast

Came to this location not long ago around 430pm. Went inside there were just 3 people already waiting for their food and me and 1 other waiting to order. The woman, who I assumed was the manager yelled at the staff about chicken not being done then said they weren't taking any more orders for at least a half hour, and that they were locking the doors. So we were kicked out without being able to order even though we were already inside. I doubt it's in the Popeyes procedural manual to just close down if it's getting busy and toss out customers. I tried coming to this location a week prior and they were closed due to an issue with their fryer. On another visit, I did manage to get my meal and sit down to eat but apparently the employees are running a daycare in the dining area as there were 4 or 5 small children running around. Hey corporate/franchise owner are you reading these reviews?

UPDATE: 8/1/2025 Came back with a 2 piece meal coupon, ordered dark spicy from the kiosk. Selected blueberry tea for my drink. Order comes I'm told they don't have the blueberry tea. Okay not a big deal I chose something else. Sit down and start eating and the chicken is regular, not spicy. I take a couple more bites hoping some spice is in there somewhere and nope. Could have been a honest mistake or maybe the wrong chicken went into the wrong basket. Normally, I wouldn't even get up for this but maybe I could prevent more negative reviews by bringing it to their attention. I get to the counter, guy asks me what's wrong and I tell him the chicken is regular not spicy. He barks: "Did you put you wanted spicy?" As I look at the sticker on the box of chicken that clearly says "Dark meat SPCY." I assume SPCY means spicy in Popeyes land. The lady, who I assume is a shift supervisor or maybe just more tenured, comes up to analyze the drumstick in my hand. We can both clearly see it is NOT a spicy piece. She goes back and comes back with a box of what I assume are 2 pieces of spicy chicken. I get back to the table and there's only 1 piece in the box! Wasn't worth the continued saga, I ate it and left. My suggestion is shut this location down, bulldoze it, let the vegetation reclaim this property. Open a new location under new ownership on PC Pkwy, do not hire anyone who has worked here thus far or off the street just because they can answer yes to "do you have a way to get to work?" and let's...

The Most Terrible Grand Opening Ever

First and foremost, I must say that I LOVE me some Popeye's chicken! How excited I was to learn that we were getting our very own location in Palm Coast, FL. I could not wait and when the restaurant finally opened, I was so happy and excited that I stayed in line for over an hour and a half to get me some fried chicken.

This is where my happiness ends, and my frustration and great disappointment begin. Why does the lobby only open for a few hours? Why do you think it professional and business polite to place a sign on the doors stating that the hall is closed per you have no staff”? Why was there no presence of the franchise and or corporate owner/ leaders, lead managers, and or corporate team to also including trainers?

After being opened for day three, these questions still appear to be unaddressed and answered as reflected in the same poor service and lack of oversight regarding the leadership and business operation of this Popeye's restaurant. Oh, and don’t let me forget to state that I also had to wait in a long drive-thru line for an hour just to be told that they only had “spicy chicken” to serve.

What hurts me the most about this experience is that on my first night visiting this location and when it was finally my turn to see people working through the drive-thru, I was floored at the lack of urgency and leadership of the staff. My order taker was dancing while taking my credit card, and the other employees were just mellow in their movements and didn’t CARE that they were genuinely unprofessional as a whole. I would return again just to see if it was just a bad night for the organization or if this was indeed how the leaders of the restaurant felt it was best to operate.

Again, the same poor service, closed lobby, and long drive-thru line were yet still so evident. Also, just in case you are wondering on my first visit to this location, I arrived at 6:36 pm and departed at 8:06 pm. Is this professional?

Overall, based upon my two visits to this location, I must say that this is the MOST TERRIBLE GRAND OPENING THAT I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED. I do not recommend anyone to this location and I caution you to read the words from reviewers like myself when I state to GO SOMEWHERE ELSE...

5/28/2025 - hours say open until 11 PM, pulled up to the drive-thru before 10 and was told:

“Due to da rain and limited staff we only doin’ online orders, I’m sorry. We don’t have much food”

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UPDATE - 5/29/2025

Against our better judgement, we decided to try again - hoping the staff had received trainings on how to make indoor fast food when “da rain” is outside (like it is most days in Florida).

Unsurprisingly a poorly handwritten sign was taped diagonally to the inside of the glass entry door that said “lobby closed, drive through only” - as we squinted to read the sign, we were treated to a cloud of marijuana smoke from the two employees standing out back looking upset that our vehicle and another had shown up.

After they moseyed back inside, I could hear the employee (through the order speaker system) listing things they didn’t have to the car in front of us, so I didn’t have high hopes, but I still wanted to try the “2 can dine” meal featured in my coupon.

I was told to wait for about an entire minute when I first pulled up to the order mic, and what transpired after that is contained in the attached video, but here’s the gist:

I mentioned my coupon and the employee stopped herself in the middle of asking me the code to begin listing all of the things they didn’t have… a list that included sides we wanted. I asked how it’s possible that they don’t have these things and she claimed “they” didn’t take them out of the freezer earlier.

Popeyes and the local franchisee - do you have any idea what’s going on over here? Good - or even halfway decent - help is hard to find these days, that’s no secret… but whatever these awful people are being paid is too much and they clearly don’t value the opportunity they’ve been given - and yes, any job is an opportunity and I myself worked in fast food as a teenager, so I know it’s not fun. But sometimes you work the job you’re qualified for - unfortunately the ladies of Palm Coast Popeyes aren’t even qualified for the one...