Bojangles is on a mission to find out if even the made-from-scratch biscuits are bigger in Texas, so it’s opening up shop in two major cities in the Lone Star State. The chain has signed franchise agreements with Sajib Singha and Asish Baidya of SAT Restaurant Group, LLC and Khalid Siddiqui of LASH Foods, LLC each to open three in the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston markets, respectively.
Bojangles will also be joining the Texas party. The company has announced it will simultaneously open 15 corporately owned restaurants in the Dallas-Fort Worth market.
“Get ready, Texans, because our delicious chicken and biscuits are headed your way, and we can’t wait to serve you up some real deal, Southern flavor like only Bojangles does,” says Jose Costa, Bojangles’ Chief Growth Officer. “We’re proud to be working alongside two experienced, multi-unit operators in LASH Foods and SAT Restaurant Group to make the move to Texas, and we look forward to the great successes that will come from those partnerships.”
For 14+ years, Sajib Singha has exhibited an entrepreneurial spirit and community leadership role when introducing new [quick-service] and fast-casual brands to frontier markets throughout North Texas, and especially in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Singha and Baidya have partnered in several franchise development deals.
Khalid Siddiqui has a strong background in business and restaurant management and a diverse portfolio of franchise partnerships. He has been a multi-unit franchisee for Yum! Brands. Currently, Siddiqui is a franchisee of DQ Grill & Chill in North Houston, Texas.
The franchise agreements outline plans to open the first locations in Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston in the first half of 2022. The first company-owned restaurant will open in Dallas-Fort Worth as early as the first quarter of 2022.
This is Bojangles’ third major franchise development this year. In March, the chain signed an expansion agreement with longtime franchisee Jeff Rigsby to open 45 new stores, including 15 in the new market of Columbus, Ohio. In early May, it inked a deal with Chaac Foods Restaurants to open 40 new stores, including 15 in Orlando, Florida. These large-scale franchise contracts signal Bojangles’ bullish appetite for growth, especially in frontier markets, and its eagerness to form lasting relationships with well-established and equally motivated operators.
“Growth is the name of the game, and we’re throwing our hat in the ring,” adds Costa. “We’ve built a beloved, well-respected brand based on integrity, hospitality and just plain good food, and now we’ve got our sights set on bringing that brand across the nation.”