Bankrupt Popeyes Franchisee Sailormen Inc. Divests Last 23 Orlando Area Locations
Sailormen Inc., a major franchisee of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, has sold its last 23 locations in the Orlando area for $2.67 million to SBH Foods PLK LLC after an earlier deal with RFI Ventures failed to close on time. This follows prior court-approved sales that accounted for most of Sailormen's original portfolio of 136 restaurants across Florida and Georgia. Sailormen filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January 2026 due to financial distress caused by a failed sale, defaulted credit facilities, lawsuits, and store closures. The company had already sold or closed all but the Orlando locations over several months through multiple buyers including Pulse Restaurant Group LLC and Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Inc. The closure of unprofitable stores was part of Sailormen's strategy to reduce annual expenses by more than $1 million. Despite rising traffic in the fried chicken sector, which increased 3% industrywide according to Circana data from 2025, Sailormen could not sustain its operations and had previously closed or sold a total of 97 locations.
Topics: bankruptcy franchising restaurant_industry