On August 8, Popeyes, a well-known fried chicken brand among online celebrities, suddenly announced that its restaurants in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai would be shut down on August 9th. State Business News reporter noted that on October 10, Popeyes' parent company Restaurant Brands International (RBI) issued a press release on its official website saying that Popeyes signed a list of non-binding terms and conditions with Cartesian Capital Group, LLC for the exclusive development of the Popeyes brand in China in the next few years. If the deal is finalized, the operation of Popeyes' China business will change from RBI to Cartesian Capital, which is the operator of coffee brand Tim. Popeyes has more than 3,850 restaurants in more than 30 countries worldwide, according to public information. Descartes said in the aforementioned press release that he will work to provide a seamless in-store experience and serve guests with the signature hospitality of the Popeyes brand.Popeyes' China business operations may change hands.On August 8, a netizen shared the news of Popeyes' closure on social media platforms. A number of stores in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai posted notices of the closure, which will officially take place on August 9th. Some netizens said that after entering the store, they heard the clerk shouting "there are still 20 minutes" and "there are still 10 minutes". The sudden news of the closure of the store caught many customers off guard. on August 9, Popeye's official WeChat account released a message saying that it would not be leaving and would be back soon. As of August 11, Popeye's has nine stores nationwide. The reporter found through the Meituan platform query, Shanghai 6 stores in 4 have been closed, only Huaihai Middle Road store and Meixin Union Square store is still in business, Hangzhou 2, Ning on a store all shut down. As for the specific reasons for the closure of the store, the reporter dialed the phone number of the closure of the store was not answered. Through the official website customer service telephone inquiries learned that the closure of the store is the day of temporary notice, they do not know the reason for the closure of the store.August 11, the reporter again called the Burger King office reception, the other said and Popeye's in the same office. When asked if there are Popeyes employees to work in the company, the other side did not want to say more, the reporter could not contact the relevant person in charge of Popeyes through this phone. According to the official website of Popeyes China, TFI (Tab Food Investments) is the franchisor of Burger King and Popeyes brands in China. After eight years of successful operation of the Burger King brand, TFI introduced Popeyes to the mainland Chinese market. The store closed on the first leg, and then parent company RBI also issued a press release saying it would partner with Descartes Capital again. Once the deal is finalized, the operation of Popeyes' China business will change hands from RBI to Descartes Capital, which said that taking over Popeyes will help Popeyes grow and expand its presence in key global markets. I had to wait in line for eight hours.This is not the first time that Popeyes has closed stores in the Chinese market. According to media reports, Popeyes opened its first store under the name "Popeyes" in Wangfujing, Beijing, in 1990. 2001, it set a goal of opening 390 stores in three years, but exited the Chinese market in 2003. 2020, Burger King operator TFI pushed for a return to the Chinese market for Popeyes. market. On the opening day of its flagship store in Shanghai, Popeyes set a "record for queuing for eight hours", and Popeyes China CEO Raphael Coelho had the audacity to say: "The goal is to open more than 1,500 restaurants in the next 10 years. more than 1,500 restaurants in the next 10 years." However, two years later, Popeye's localization process is not fast. Only six have opened in Shanghai, two in Hangzhou and one in Nanjing. Not only are the stores slow to open, but they are now closed. In its earnings report released in mid-February 2022, its brand-side parent company RBI disclosed that in early 2022, it was in talks with the main Chinese franchise agreement parties to Burger King and Popeyes to resolve "commercial disputes" that arose in 2021, according to Interface News. "Based on these discussions, we expect to agree to a payment of approximately $100 million in 2022." RBI said the money, most of which relates to Popeyes, is expected to resolve the dispute between the parties "and enable us to grow in the Chinese market with our new master franchisee." RBI's new partner for Popeyes is Descartes. Descartes managing partner Peter Yu said in a press release, "We are proud to grow the Popeye brand in China and bring its famous chicken sandwiches and iconic products to guests in this extremely dynamic market." He said, "We are delighted to have built a successful 10-year relationship with RBI, including the rapidly growing 450+ Tim Hortons cafes in China." .