DES MOINES, Iowa (WHO) – Are you eating at an officially sanctioned Popeyes restaurant? Perhaps not if you’re chowing down in Iowa.

Popeyes filed a lawsuit earlier this month accusing several Iowa locations of continuing to operate under the Popeyes name after having their franchise agreement terminated. Five Iowa restaurants are named in the suit, including locations in Coralville, Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Dubuque, as well as the Merle Hay location in Des Moines.

All five locations are operated by the same former franchisee, Asif Poonja. Poonja is listed as a defendant, along with JAM Equities, a private equity firm.

In its lawsuit, Popeyes accuses the defendants of “unauthorized use of Popeyes’ valuable trademarks and service marks in connection with their unlawful operation of five restaurants as authorized POPEYES® restaurants.”

The suit claims that each location had their franchise agreement terminated because they failed to comply with “Popeyes’ standards and specifications with regard to food safety and brand standards.” The suit goes on to say that the locations were notified by Popeyes of the violations and were given time to rectify the issues, with some notices dating back to 2024, but the company says the locations failed to do so.

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen is demanding injunctive relief and damages from each location, according to the filing.

The lawsuit can be viewed in full at Nexstar’s WHO.

Calls to the locations named in the lawsuit indicated that the Iowa “Popeyes” restaurants were still operating as of Friday. A representative for one location declined to comment on the lawsuit.