Bojangles (restaurant) facts for kids
 |
|
A Bojangles location in Hiawassee, Georgia, United States
|
|
|
Trade name
|
Bojangles |
|---|---|
| Private | |
| Traded as | NASDAQ: BOJA |
| Industry | Food Franchising |
| Founded | July 6, 1977 Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Founders | Jack Fulk Richard Thomas |
| Headquarters | Charlotte, North Carolina, United States |
|
Number of locations
|
818 (2023) |
|
Area served
|
United States Honduras |
|
Key people
|
|
| Products | Fast food, including fried chicken, biscuits, french fries |
| Revenue |  US$547 million (2021) |
| Owner | The Jordan Company Durational Capital Management |
|
Number of employees
|
9,900 (2021) |
Bojangles is a popular American fast-food restaurant chain. It is famous for its special Cajun-flavored fried chicken and delicious buttermilk biscuits. Most Bojangles restaurants are found in the Southeastern United States.
The company started in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1977. It was founded by two people, Jack Fulk and Richard Thomas. Bojangles also has restaurants in Honduras. In the past, it had locations in other countries like Jamaica and Mexico.
As of 2023, Bojangles had restaurants in 17 different U.S. states. These states include Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. North Carolina, where it began, has the most Bojangles locations. The company has also been expanding into new states like Arizona, California, and New Jersey.
Contents
History of Bojangles
Bojangles first opened its doors on July 6, 1977, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Just one year later, the first restaurant owned by a franchisee (someone who pays to use the company's name and system) began operating.
In 1981, Jack Fulk sold the Bojangles idea to a company called Horn & Hardart. This company is no longer in business today.
Bojangles became well-known in 1989. This was because its restaurants stayed open when Hurricane Hugo hit the Carolinas. Most other fast-food places had to close during the storm.
Under Horn & Hardart's ownership, the chain grew quickly. It expanded to 335 restaurants, with 100 of them in Florida. This growth happened partly because Bojangles bought other smaller restaurant chains.
Changes in Ownership
In 1990, Horn & Hardart sold most of its share in Bojangles. It was bought by Sienna Partners and Interwest Partners. A former executive from KFC, Dick Campbell, then led the company.
Later, in 1998, a group of investors bought Bojangles again. This group was led by Joe Drury, who used to work for Wendy's.
Bojangles continued to grow throughout the 1990s and 2000s. The 300th location opened in 2003. In 2005, the first Bojangles restaurant on a college campus opened. It was at Central Piedmont Community College. The company also bought the naming rights for the Charlotte Coliseum.
In 2007, a company called Falfurrias Capital Partners bought Bojangles. This type of company invests in businesses. The first Bojangles at an airport opened in 2008. It was at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport. In 2011, Falfurrias sold Bojangles to another investment company, Advent International.
In 2012, Bojangles started sponsoring the NASCAR race Bojangles' Southern 500. It also opened another college campus restaurant at UNC Greensboro.
The 600th Bojangles restaurant opened on July 8, 2014. The mayor of Charlotte, Dan Clodfelter, helped celebrate the opening.
In 2015, the company planned to offer its shares to the public. This would have allowed anyone to buy a part of the company.
Recent Developments
In January 2019, Jose Armario became the new chief executive officer of Bojangles. Brian Unger joined him as the chief operating officer. Both of them had worked at McDonald's before.
On January 28, 2019, Bojangles was bought by two companies: The Jordan Company and Durational Capital Management. This made Bojangles a privately owned company again.
In December 2019, Bojangles made a deal with Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores. They agreed to open 40 Bojangles locations at Love's Travel Stops. These new locations were planned for states like Illinois and Oklahoma.
On August 3, 2020, Bojangles announced a small change to its name. It dropped the apostrophe, becoming simply "Bojangles." On the same day, the company announced a partnership with Dale Earnhardt Jr.. He was the first celebrity to say the famous phrase, "It's Bo Time."
In March 2021, Bojangles announced plans to expand into Columbus, Ohio. This was its first location in Ohio.
In March 2022, Bojangles shared that it would open its first 10 locations in New Jersey. In July 2023, the company announced it would expand to the West Coast. It planned to open 20 restaurants in Las Vegas. In March 2024, Bojangles announced expansion into Phoenix. In April 2024, it was announced they would expand into Los Angeles.
Menu Items
Bojangles restaurants offer their full menu all day long. For breakfast, they have many kinds of Biscuit sandwiches. A popular one is the signature Cajun chicken filet biscuit. They also offer biscuits with country ham, egg, cheese, bacon, and sausage.
For lunch and dinner, the main item is the bone-in fried chicken. You can choose from many side dishes, called "Fixin's." These include French fries, Cajun-seasoned pinto beans, dirty rice, and Bo-tato Rounds (like hashbrowns). Other sides are coleslaw, green beans, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, and grits.
Bojangles also has boneless chicken tenders called "Chicken Supremes." These come with different dipping sauces. They offer fried and grilled chicken sandwiches, and a fish sandwich called the "Bojangler." You can also find salads topped with grilled or fried chicken.
For desserts, they have the Bo-Berry biscuit. This is a biscuit with blueberries and a sweet sugar glaze. They also offer a sweet-potato fried pie and cinnamon biscuits. Sometimes, they have special items like pork chop biscuits. In April 2024, Bojangles added "Bo's Bird Dog," which is a chicken supreme in a hot dog bun. In August 2024, they added bone-in chicken wings in plain, Creamy Buffalo, and Barbecue flavors.
Animal Welfare Efforts
In 2016, Bojangles made a promise about animal welfare. They pledged to use 100 percent cage-free eggs by 2025. This was part of their plan to be a responsible company. As of 2025, the company has not provided any public updates on this goal.
Sponsorships
Bojangles sponsors several organizations and events:
See also
- List of fast-food chicken restaurants
- Bojangles Coliseum
