NEW ORLEANS Al Copeland, founder of the Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits and Copeland’s of New Orleans chains, died Sunday at a clinic in Germany, where he was being treated for cancer of the salivary gland. He was 64.
Aflamboyant figure who also supplied spice mixes to the restaurant industry through his Diversified Foods & Seasoning company, Copeland established the spicy, Cajun-style chicken of Popeyes as a local favorite before parlaying it into a sizeable franchise chain with national ambitions.
Copeland eventually lost ownership of the brand after buying a rival operation, Church’s Chicken. Franchisees of both systems erupted in protest, fearing a transfer of trade secrets between what were often bitter competitors. Meanwhile, the deal left Copeland so highly leveraged that he was forced to file for bankruptcy and step out of operations. A successor company, now known as AFC Enterprises, eventually sold Church’s. It still operates and franchises Popeyes, which has grown to 1,905 restaurants. Copeland retained a few licensed Popeyes units.
Copeland shifted his attention to his dinnerhouse operations, including Copeland’s of New Orleans. He also experimented with a full-service concept called Straya, a local favorite in New Orleans for a number of years.
Copeland was inducted into the Louisiana Restaurant Association’s Hall of Fame in 1995. Jim Funk, president and chief executive of the LRA, said, “Al Copeland Sr. was an industry icon who brought New Orleans cuisine to a whole new level, garnering national attention with the Popeyes Fried Chicken franchise in the late '70s and early '80s.”
Funk said Copeland showed leadership and vision, especially in New Orleans flavors and the chicken segment.
“I heard something once that has stuck with me and says a lot about Al Copeland’s leadership and vision: ‘That every time a fried chicken competitor would advertise in the market, Popeyes’ sales would spike,’” Funk said.
Copeland continued to draw headlines with his lifestyle, which extended to driving expensive cars and racing powerboats. Every Christmas he would cover his Lake Pontchartrain home with lights, turning it into a local attraction and vexing the neighbors with the traffic it created. They eventually sued him to dim the decorations.
Copeland is survived by nine children, including a son, Al Copeland Jr., who is also in the restaurant business.