2 Milwaukee Popeyes temporarily close, some employees protest over working conditions

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The City of Milwaukee Health Department (MHD) issued temporary closing orders for two Popeyes locations, according to a spokesperson.

MHD sent inspectors to the Popeyes on 29th and Capitol Drive and another on 62nd and Silver Spring Drive after receiving a video of flooding inside the restaurants.

The inspection report for the Popeyes located at 2910 W. Capitol Drive states there is an imminent health hazard requiring all food operations to cease and the food license was immediately suspended. 

The report states water pipes burst in several locations causing leaking and flooding. Cooking equipment beneath the locations of the pipes was covered in water. The heat was not working in the building. 

Mouse droppings were also found in the establishment, according to the report. 

MHD is ordering Popeyes to fix all of the violations before Jan. 11, 2023. MHD and the City of Milwaukee's Department of Neighborhood Services (DNS) must complete inspections before the restaurant can reopen. 

The inspection report for the Popeyes located at 6120 W. Silver Spring Dr. found an imminent health hazard requiring all food operations to cease and the food license is immediately suspended. 

The report states water was leaking above a wash station. 

MHD ordered Popeyes to fix the violation by Dec. 28, 2022. The restaurant must contact the inspector before reopening. 

Some employees at the Popeyes located at 2910 W. Capitol Drive protested outside of the restaurant Wednesday afternoon.

Shift Manager Angela Whitelow said the heat hasn't been working in months.

"I'm not lying. I'm not overexaggerating. If you go up in there, it's colder inside the store than it is outside," Whitelow said.

Pictures sent to CBS 58 show the inside of the restaurant is flooded with water, and in some places the water turned to ice. 

"It's an icicle up in there. It's freezing. It's ice everywhere," Whitelow said. "I can't work like that."

Whitelow said employees wear winter coats while working in the kitchen and customers complain it's too cold to eat in the dining room.

The shift manager said the managers and owners above her aren't doing anything to fix the problem.

A woman identified by employees as a manager didn't answer CBS 58's questions about the conditions. 

"It's just dumb to me how y'all out here in the cold but complain about working in the cold," the woman said.

The woman did not confirm if a pipe had broken. 

A CBS 58 crew observed a plumbing truck in the parking lot and a plumber going in and out of the building.

"I can't talk about that," the woman said. "You can ask the people that work here. They know everything."

Protesting employees were supported by Fight for $15, a movement demanding higher pay and a right to unionize for food and retail workers.

"This place is not safe. It needs to be shut down. It does not need to be operating," Fight for $15 Senior Lead Ciara Fox said.

CBS 58 reached out to Popeyes. Its communications department responded with the following statement:

“The Popeyes restaurants located at 2910 Capitol Ave and 6120 Silver Spring Drive are temporarily closed due to infrastructure issues as well as damages from the severe weather conditions last week. These locations will remain closed until all necessary repairs are made and team members and guests can be welcomed back into a safe environment aligned to Popeyes standards.”

Zubha Pop Foods, LLC. is operator of both establishments. The company did not immediately respond to CBS 58's request for comment.

DNS is also looking into the issues.