Highlights

The world of culinary professionals, critics, gourmets, restauranteurs and food lovers continue to take notice of a prominent New Orleans entrepreneur - Al Copeland. Al and his restaurant concepts continue to surprise and delight locals and visitors alike. He has clearly established himself as a serious contender in the casual and fine dining arena.Al Copeland's background was modest, beginning with a job at a local Louisiana grocery store. Later, his brother Gil not only taught him the donut business (Tastee Donuts), but taught him how to franchise. Al observed the success and failure of businesses around him and quickly realized the secret to success. Popeye's Fried Chicken was created in Arabi, LA, a New Orleans suburb in 1972. Franchising began in 1976 and the company grew to more than 800 stores in the United States and several foreign countries by 1989.He founded Copeland's of New Orleans in 1983. Over the last two decades, the Copeland's chain of casual full-service restaurants expanded throughout the metropolitan New Orleans area and surrounding Louisiana cities, north to Alexandria and Centreville, Virginia, Rockville and Columbia, Maryland, in the metro area of Washington, D.C., and west to Dallas, Texas. In June 2001, he will be opening the latest restaurant in Minneapolis, Minnesota.Copeland created a franchising program that took the concept into major markets around the United States. Now, there are over forty stores both, company-owned and franchise operations, in fifteen states across the U.S. Over the past 9 years, Copeland created a number of other successful restaurant concepts throughout suburban New Orleans and the surrounding areas. His most recent being Copeland's Cheesecake Bistro which has taken New Orleans and Baton Rouge diners by storm with its superior service, food, beverage and delectable dessert menu. Al plans to open a third location in Metairie, LA in 2002.