On August 23 of 1973 I had just been discharged from the Air Force. I returned home to Arabi Louisiana a small town on the eastern border of New Orleans. A friend invited me to go get some fried chicken at Popeye’s. So we went and had lunch at the very first Popeye’s that had ever been built. Mr. Copeland started his empire in Arabi and it spread like wildfire! Before Popeye’s he had several donut shops in the New Orleans area and I worked at his Arabi store one summer. He was a real entrepreneur and the locals were saddened by his death from cancer and sale of Popeye’s to an out of state interest!
Yup. A lot of us remember Al Copeland. Lived out in Metarie if I recall correctly.
I actually got into an argument with a Kentucky native over which state’s fried chicken is best.
I lived near the Bonnabel Blvd boat launch in Metairie back then, so I often saw Al and his team launching the various boats, including the turbine-powered catamaran.
I recall that he and his family retained control of the proprietary spice mix (produced in two facilities so nobody had the entire recipe) used by the restaurants and continued supplying that after he lost control of the larger corporation. I'm not sure if that's still the case.
“I returned home to Arabi Louisiana “
Ah! Arabi! Skating down to the slaughter house to see the two headed calf mounted on the wall, sneaking out on the cattle ramp that ran out from the levee to catch cat fish, shooting rats in the canal that ran from the slaughter house and picking blackberries along that same canal. Bike rides down to Packengham Oaks. Rocky & Carlo’s mac and cheese!!!
Man, the memories!