這起事件發生在加拿大大多倫多地區，牽涉到知名快餐連鎖品牌 Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen 的特許經營商管理不當問題，並最終導致 Restaurant Brands International Inc.（RBI）終止涉事店主Irfan Memon名下13家門店的特許經營權。RBI 公司發言人表示，對於拖欠員工薪資以及廚房衛生問題，公司絕不容忍，因此已立即採取行動，Irfan Memon 已不再是 Popeyes 的特許經營商，而原屬他經營的多家餐廳自週五晚間起暫時關閉。RBI正在尋求其他加盟商接手這些門店，以恢復正常營運。這 13 家餐廳均位於大多倫多地區及周邊城市。

事情曝光的契機，是上週末位於多倫多士嘉堡的一家Popeyes餐廳門前出現的大規模員工抗議。抗議的員工手持標語牌，控訴店主長期拖欠薪資、後廚衛生環境惡劣，甚至涉及食品安全與宗教標示問題。根據員工爆料，Memom已數周未支付薪水，部分員工被拖欠長達五張工資支票，而這些支票不僅未兌現，多次退票，使員工陷入極大的經濟困境。

除了薪資拖欠問題，員工還指控Memom違規採購食品，購買未經批准且安全性存疑的原料，違背加盟規定。根據 Popeyes的加盟要求，所有門店應使用由統一供應商Sysco提供的食材，但 Memom擅自從其他渠道購買價格較低的食材。他甚至將非清真的雞肉標示為清真食品出售，嚴重違反食品標示規定。更令人震驚的是，這些雞肉曾被存放在他的住宅車庫中，根本沒有冷凍或適當的儲存設施，存在嚴重的食品安全風險。

此外，後廚環境極度髒亂，被員工形容「如同垃圾場」，充斥垃圾和不衛生的操作環境。根據一位員工通過電子郵件向blogTO爆料的訊息，這些違規行為已持續數週，且員工多次投訴未獲解決，最終迫使 RBI 公司介入，終止特許經營權並暫時關閉餐廳，以保障員工權益及消費者安全。

這起事件不僅凸顯連鎖餐飲品牌在加盟管理與食品安全上的潛在風險，也讓大眾關注快餐行業中員工權益保護與衛生監管的重要性。事件曝光後，引起社會廣泛討論，呼籲相關監管機構加強對加盟商的審查與監管，避免類似事件再次發生。

This incident took place in the Greater Toronto Area, Canada, involving serious mismanagement by a franchise owner of the well-known fast-food chain Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen. The parent company, Restaurant Brands International Inc. (RBI), has terminated the franchise rights of Irfan Memon, who owned 13 Popeyes locations. According to an RBI spokesperson, wage theft and poor kitchen hygiene are unacceptable, and immediate action was taken. Memon is no longer a Popeyes franchisee, and his restaurants were temporarily closed starting Friday evening. The company is now seeking other franchisees to take over these locations and resume operations. All 13 restaurants are situated within Toronto and its surrounding areas.

The situation came to public attention after a large-scale employee protest outside a Popeyes restaurant in Scarborough, Toronto, last weekend. Protesters held signs accusing Memon of long-term wage theft, unsanitary kitchen conditions, and food safety violations, including mislabeling non-halal chicken as halal. Employees reported that Memon had not paid wages for several weeks, with some being owed up to five paychecks, all of which had bounced multiple times, leaving staff in severe financial hardship.

Beyond unpaid wages, employees accused Memon of illegally sourcing unsafe ingredients instead of following franchise requirements. According to franchise rules, all Popeyes locations are required to purchase ingredients from the approved supplier, Sysco, but Memon allegedly purchased cheaper ingredients from other sources. He reportedly misrepresented non-halal chicken as halal and even stored chicken in his residential garage without proper refrigeration, creating serious food safety hazards.

The kitchen conditions were described as extremely unsanitary, with one employee telling blogTO that the area resembled a “garbage dump”, filled with trash and unhygienic operations. These violations persisted for several weeks, despite employee complaints, ultimately prompting RBI to intervene by terminating Memon’s franchise rights and temporarily closing the restaurants to protect both employees and customers.

The case highlights the potential risks in franchise management and food safety within the fast-food industry and has sparked widespread public discussion in Canada about the importance of employee rights protection and stricter hygiene oversight. The incident has prompted calls for regulatory authorities to strengthen monitoring of franchise operations to prevent similar situations from occurring in the future.