July 01, 2025
Sam Greene/The Enquirer; USA TODAY NETWORK
Celebrity chef Guy Fieri's sandwich chain Chicken Guy is being sued by former Food Network contestant Kevin Cooper, who opened a franchise at the King of Prussia Mall in 2024. Cooper alleges the chain failed to pay his salary and operating expenses for the restaurant, which shut down in February.
A chef from Delaware County is suing Guy Fieri's Chicken Guy chain for allegedly failing to pay his salary after a franchise at the King of Prussia Mall closed in February, according to a federal lawsuit filed last month in Philadelphia.
Kevin Cooper, a chef who has competed on several Food Network shows in recent years, claims he never received the $100,000 salary he was supposed to earn as the winner of "Guy's Chance of a Lifetime" in 2021. Cooper opened a Chicken Guy franchise at the mall in February 2024 as part of his prize. The business shuttered after about a year.
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On "Guy's Chance of a Lifetime," hosted by Fieri, Cooper beat out six other chefs for the chance to run his own Chicken Guy restaurant. The fast food chain has about 20 locations, including two in Atlantic City.
Cooper's lawsuit claims his prize included a guaranteed $100,000 salary and full coverage of operational expenses for the restaurant if its costs exceeded revenue during the first year of operation. Other terms included a waiver of franchise fees and a $10,000 stipend for legal fees, the suit says.
Cooper is asking to be paid $100,000 and for the defendants to cover all unpaid expenses tied to his failed franchise.
When Chicken Guy opened at the mall, Cooper told the Philadelphia Business Journal he envisioned helping the brand expand in the U.S.
"Moving forward, just the brand in general is gonna be huge," Cooper said. "We’re (going to) see it all over."
Cooper's lawsuit alleges he made repeated requests to be paid his salary to no avail. Instead, Cooper claims he had to pay himself and that unpaid expenses above the restaurant's revenue amounted to nearly $69,000. Most of those costs came from state sales taxes and services related to the business, in addition to a personal loan of $13,500 resulting from the alleged lack of support.
In an Instagram post Monday, Cooper shared a video discussing why he's been "a little quiet lately" on social media and elsewhere. In the video, Cooper talks about his faith but does not directly address the lawsuit.
"I ain't mad. I ain't angry," Cooper said. "And I ain't even trying to make nobody look bad, man. I'm just here to let y'all know that I am completely free, and now I've got something to say. So y'all stay tuned."
The defendants named in the lawsuit are Chicken Guy and Earl Enterprises, which also owns Las Vegas resort and casino Planet Hollywood and other restaurant brands. The suit accuses both of breach of contract.
Chicken Guy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Cooper, who goes by the name Chef Steek, runs a catering and cooking lessons business called Succulent Imagination. Its website says he's a U.S. Army veteran who pursued a culinary career with specialties in Asian and Caribbean flavors. In addition to winning "Guy's Chance of a Lifetime," Cooper also won during appearances on Food Network's "Cooks vs. Cons" in 2017 and "Guy's Grocery Games" in 2022.
