Original owner of Jordan’s Fish & Chicken sets record straight about cleanliness
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Jordan’s Fish-Chicken-Sandwiches at 42nd Street and Post Road was closed six days ago by the Marion County Health Department after a viral video was posted on social media showing simply disgusting conditions.
Now, the owner of the original restaurant chain told I-Team 8 that location has nothing to do with what he calls the real stores.
“I was really upset. I was very mad,” said Moe Eedous, the original owner of Jordan’s Fish & Chicken, about the viral video.
It showed a mouse on the floor of the lobby of Jordan’s Fish-Chicken-Sandwiches, 4175 N. Post Road. The video also showed someone who appeared to be an employee working without shoes on, and what looked like food for customers being served from open containers on the floor.
“It was very painful, and I totally understand the confusion by the customers,” Eedous said.
At one point in time, Eedous owned all of the Jordan’s locations around Indianapolis. Over the years, he sold some of them off. Some of the people he sold them to have permission to use his restaurant’s name for the long term, but the person who bought the location at 42nd and Post did not.
This 42nd and Post location was registered to Omar Siedahmed. News 8 last week went to his home, but no one answered the door.
“When we sold that location we told them, ‘Hey, this is the location. You guys can have it for this many months until you have the operation and everything is going well and you guys can tear the sign down.’ They did tear the sign down and they put it back up without our knowledge,” Eedous said.
I-Team 8 called the owner of the location seen in the viral video to confirm this account of events, but they haven’t responded to our message.
I-Team 8 spoke with attorney Trezenay Atkins last week about this situation. She specializes in trademark law. Since speaking with her, Eedous hired her to handle trademark infringement of Jordan’s Fish & Chicken.
Atkins said trademark applications were filed at the state and federal level with the goal of preventing restaurant owners from using Jordan’s Fish & Chicken as their name unless they have permission.
The attorney told I-Team 8, “I don’t think it’s a quick process. I think it’s a long-term solution for them.”
While that long-term solution plays out, Eedous is trying to fight off the stigma that his restaurants are also dirty. He said the following locations are original and have permission to use his restaurant’s name, even if he doesn’t own the location:
- 7035 E. 96th St.
- 5841 S. Crawfordsville Road.
- 4824 S. Emerson Ave.
- 3681 W. 86th St.
- 6165 Allisonville Road.
- 7354 Shadeland Ave.
- 7003 E. 38th St.
- 404 E. Thompson Road.
Eedous said anyone can come check out how clean they are. “Right now, we are really worried. We don’t want our name to be hurt by anybody’s mistakes.”
The owner of the location at 42nd and Post can fix their health department violations and reopen as a restaurant.