[2] In 2017, the chief financial officer of The Original Soupman was indicted for income tax evasion, and the chain went into bankruptcy, which led to all of its stores being closed.

Although Yeganeh is not involved with the day-to-day operations anymore, he still owns the brand name and is in charge of the soup recipes.

"[4] However, the writer noted that customers who stalled or complained would be bypassed, and quoted one person in line as advising others, "Just don’t talk.

"[4] Yeganeh was the inspiration for the "Soup Nazi" character in the eponymous episode of the NBC television sitcom Seinfeld, which first aired on November 2, 1995.

For the original episode, Thomas was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series in 1996.

According to writer Spike Feresten, Jerry Seinfeld and several members of the production team went to Soup Kitchen International for lunch weeks after "The Soup Nazi" aired, despite Feresten warning Seinfeld that Yeganeh was now well aware of the episode and was not pleased with the attention it had brought him.

Upon recognizing Seinfeld, Yeganeh "did a triple take" and then went into a profanity-filled rant about how the show had "ruined" his business, demanding an apology.

Seinfeld allegedly gave what Feresten describes as "the most sarcastic apology I've ever seen anyone give", upon which Yeganeh ejected them from the restaurant, shouting "No soup for you!"

[5] After reopening, "The Original Soup Man" opened franchises in various cities throughout the United States and Canada, including four in Manhattan.

[11] In April 2018, Bertrand pled guilty and was sentenced to nine months in prison; his defense was that his actions were intended to keep the company afloat.

[12] Around that time, The Original Soupman was able to re-enter New York City's public schools lunch program after some modifications to the recipes, then to expand sales to delis and supermarkets in the New York City area, and finally, in December 2018, it opened its first post-bankruptcy physical location in a Times Square kiosk.