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 A Bojangles location inHiawassee, Georgia, United States | |
| Bojangles | |
| Company type | Private |
| Industry | FoodFranchising |
| Founded | July 6, 1977; 48 years ago (1977-07-06) Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Founders | Jack Fulk Richard Thomas |
| Headquarters | Charlotte, North Carolina, United States |
Number of locations | 818[1] (2023) |
Area served | United States Honduras |
Key people | |
| Products | Fast food, includingfried chicken,biscuits,french fries |
| Revenue |  US$547 million[2] (2021) |
| Owner | The Jordan Company Durational Capital Management |
Number of employees | 9,900 (2021) |
| Website | www |
Bojangles OpCo, LLC., doing business asBojangles (known asBojangles' Famous Chicken 'n Biscuits until 2020), is an American regional chain of fast food restaurants that specializes inCajun-seasonedfried chicken andbuttermilk biscuits and primarily serves theSoutheastern United States. The company was founded inCharlotte, North Carolina in 1977 byJack Fulk and Richard Thomas.[3]
Bojangles has locations inHonduras and previously franchised restaurants inGrand Cayman Island,Jamaica,Mexico[4] andChina.[5][6] As of 2025[update], restaurants are in 18U.S. states[7] (Alabama,Arkansas,Colorado,Florida,Georgia,Illinois,Kentucky,Louisiana,Mississippi,Maryland,Nevada,New Jersey,North Carolina,Ohio,Pennsylvania,South Carolina,Tennessee,Texas,Virginia andWest Virginia) with planned expansions intoArizona,[8]California,[9]New York (state)[10] andOklahoma.[11] Its home state of North Carolina has the largest number of locations.[12]
Bojangles was founded on July 6, 1977 in Charlotte. In the following year, the first franchised restaurant began operations.
Jack Fulk sold the Bojangles concept to the now-defunctHorn & Hardart Company of New York[13] in 1981.
During Horn and Hardart's ownership, the chain grew rapidly and expanded to 335 restaurants including 100 in Florida. Part of this growth was fueled by acquisitions including Judy Judy Judy's in 1982 and the Florida-based Biskits chain in 1984.[14]
Bojangles received fame in 1989 because its restaurants remained open whenHurricane Hugo struck the Carolinas when most other fast-food restaurants had closed.[15]
In 1990, Horn and Hardart sold most of its interest to Sienna Partners and Interwest Partners. The company was then headed by the formerKFC executive, Dick Campbell. In 1994, the company attempted a public offering. Campbell was subsequently replaced by CEO Jim Peterson. The company was sold to a group of investors headed by the formerWendy's executive Joe Drury and financed by FMAC in 1998.[16]
Bojangles expanded throughout the 1990s and 2000s, with the 300th location opened in 2003. The restaurant started its first college campus location on the grounds ofCentral Piedmont Community College in 2005. The company also purchased naming rights to the originalCharlotte Coliseum on Independence Boulevard in Charlotte.
Bojangles was purchased again in 2007 byFalfurrias Capital Partners,[17] aprivate equity firm. The first airport location was opened in 2008 at theCharlotte Douglas International Airport. In August 2011, Falfurrias sold Bojangles to Boston-basedAdvent International, another private equity firm, after a competitive bidding process with other investors.[18]
In 2012, Bojangles began sponsoring the NASCAR raceBojangles' Southern 500, and opened another college campus restaurant atUNC Greensboro.[19]
The company's 600th restaurant opened on July 8, 2014, on Galleria Road in Charlotte with Charlotte mayorDan Clodfelter cutting the celebratory ribbon.[20]
In April 2015, the company filed with the US regulator for aninitial public offering of its common stock, expecting to raise $372 million.[21]
In January 2019, Randy Kibler was replaced by Jose Armario as thechief executive officer and brought with him Brian Unger as thechief operating officer. Both were past employees ofMcDonald's.[22]
On January 28, 2019, Bojangles was acquired byThe Jordan Company and Durational Capital Management (making it a privately held company)[23] with Bojangles shareholders receiving $16.10 a share[24] after their approval on January 14, 2019.[25]
In December 2019, Bojangles andLove's Travel Stops & Country Stores came to an agreement to add 40 Bojangles locations at Love's Travel Stops inIllinois,Oklahoma,Arkansas andMississippi – all new states for Bojangles (except Mississippi) – over the following ten years.[26]
On August 3, 2020, the company released a statement saying that it was dropping theapostrophe from its name. On the same day, Bojangles released a video announcing a partnership withDale Earnhardt Jr., the first celebrity to say the words, "It's Bo Time."[27]
On March 5, 2021, Bojangles announced a planned expansion intoColumbus, Ohio, its firstOhio location, to begin later that year.[28] The announcement came on the same dayTaco Johns announced it would significantly boost its Central Ohio presence,[29] as well as already-planned expansions into the market bySheetz[30] andDel Taco.[31]
In March 2022, Bojangles announced that it would open its first 10 locations inNew Jersey.[32] In July 2023, Bojangles announced they would further expand to the West Coast, opening 20 inLas Vegas.[33] In March 2024, it was announced they would expand toPhoenix.[8] In April 2024, it was announced they would expand intoLos Angeles.[34]
On July 9, 2025 Bojangles opened its firstColorado location inPueblo, Colorado.
Restaurants offer the full menu during all operating hours.Biscuit sandwiches are the predominant breakfast item, including the signature cajunchicken filet biscuit, as well ascountry ham,egg,cheese,bacon,sausage andcountry fried steak options. For lunch and dinner, the signature item is the bone-infried chicken with a variety of side items (called "Fixin's"), includingFrench fries, cajun-seasonedpinto beans,dirty rice, Bo-tato Rounds (a type ofhashbrowns),coleslaw,green beans,macaroni and cheese,mashed potatoes andgrits. They also offer bonelesschicken tenders known as "Chicken Supremes" which are served with a variety of dipping sauces, fried and grilled chicken sandwiches, a fish sandwich known as the "Bojangler" and a number of salads which can be topped with either grilled or fried chicken. Desserts include the Bo-Berry biscuit, which is a biscuit with blueberries topped with a sugar glaze, a sweet-potatofried pie and cinnamon biscuits. Seasonal and limited-time offerings also appear on some menus, such as pork chop biscuits.[35] In April 2024, Bojangles added and created Bo's Bird Dog that features a chicken supreme in a toasted hot dog bun.[36] In August 2024, they added bone-in chicken wings to their menu in plain,Creamy Buffalo, andBarbecue flavors.[37]
In 2016, Bojangles pledged to transition to 100 percent cage-free eggs by 2025 as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program. However, as of 2025, they have not provided any updates on this goal.[38]
