I have tried, Lord knows I've tried to be patient and understanding. But even though I ALWAYS get lousy service and sometimes lousy food, I still go back to Popeye's and "give them one more chance" to do it right. Once again I went to a Popeye's Chicken store in Shreveport, LA and got the same crappy service and lousy food. When will I learn???

Well, now I've had enough. I really wish there were a way to "purchase" this corporation so I could personally fire every single employee that works for any of the stores NATIONWIDE. Most of them need to be shuttered and sell the assets. This would be for the overall good of the brand identity. The recipe for their chicken is wonderful, and their sides are really great too. The big problem is with attitudes. The attitudes you get in the store (from apathy to downright disrespect) is largely a result/reflection of management. This applies from Corporate Management all the way down to the store level. I know that you get what you pay for so when you pay minimum wage salaries you get minimum wage work ethics or worse. There is an inherent problem with the work force available to this restaurant chain apparently. I see employees more interested in talking on their cell phones or visiting non-stop with their "friends" that are ever-present at the side of the counter (yes you've seen them, right?). So maybe, as others have opined on various complaint board websites, I've really walked into a crack house. I wonder what could be so all consuming that would require a "friend" to hang out with you each and every day while you are "at work". And since when is it appropriate to wear your Bluetooth device while working. Where is management? Are they even on the premises? I've heard of a time a long time ago where a store actually had a manager that wasn't trying to run a pimp house at the same time but I think that was actually an Urban Legend and is not to be believed.

What would convince a franchisee to buy into this system is beyond me. I assume that maybe I'm missing out on the absolute best investment franchise in history because if you can open a store in this economy, offer this type of lousy service, trash a wonderful chicken recipe, and STILL MAKE A PROFIT, then sign me up. Just imagine the millions I'll rake in by simply hiring and MANAGING a few people who actually care about doing their job and not scoring a meth or crack sale. I've managed MANY, MANY employees over the years and I know that while there are certainly occasional unexpected challenges to be faced, most situations can be handled by utilizing "active management" techniques. The management of today is actually just another employee behind the counter schlepping fries or doing other job functions that should be covered by an hourly employee. I am a firm believer, and it has been proven time after time that managers should MANAGE, workers should WORK. There is a reason why baseball doesn't have player/managers any longer, football coaches don't suit up and play, military Generals don't take up arms. You CANNOT manage or lead others if you are up to your ears in doing menial work. You cannot anticipate the problems before they arise, you cannot hear the improper interactions with you paying customer, you cannot see that an employee is having a difficult time and needs additional training or instruction. In order to lead you have to be able to step back and observe. Like a great conductor leads and directs the orchestra when he hears something he doesn't like, you must direct the action, you monitor problem areas and take action to correct issues and most certainly in today's hyper-competitive market, when problems arise, you engage in customer satisfaction (i.e. damage control).

It is sad actually to see apathetic kids trying to impersonate a person who actually cares. They ask for the job and eagerly nod their heads, promising to be the best Popeye's employee ever, saying anything to get the job knowing full well that they'll settle in to the same routine that their friends told them about before they even applied for this "job". But then again, the manager conducting the interview also knew full well what the end results would be. They came from this same environment. They too are simply "working the system".

Alas, if only I had the ability to purchase this corporation, I would be the absolute king of Fried Chicken. All of the ingredients are already there except the proper people to do the job.