Bojangles called its expansion “galvanized.” This was as much a reflection of tangible, recent figures as the map ahead. In the summer of 2023, the 1977-founded brand unveiled a refreshed growth strategy that included, among other things, a boneless-focused menu and streamlined model, from the “Genesis” store design and layout to induction stoves that lowered the in-store temperature.
The premise behind Bojangles’ shift wasn’t to redefine the soul of the Southern brand—it was to modernize it and position the company for markets outside its North Carolina stronghold. The Tar Heel state would remain bone-in chicken led and with a menu guests and franchisees have recognized to for generations. However, distanced development has been a rocky journey in past chapters of Bojangles’ history. The company was publicly traded from 2015 to January 2019, when it was sold to Durational Capital Management LP and The Jordan Company, L.P. Before that deal, Bojangles launched a “restaurant portfolio optimization program” designed around closing underperforming stores and refranchising.
To penetrate fresh cities this go-around, like Texas as we’ll explore, CEO Jose Armario, a former McDonald’s vet who assumed the reins with the change, felt Bojangles had to curate an experience-driven concept with chops to scale. Smaller menu, but with familiar brand flair.
Bojangles in May said it opened 10 corporate and franchised stores in “the past few months,” including through Birmingham, Alabama; Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston, Texas; Columbia, South Carolina; Las Vegas, Nevada; Atlanta, Georgia; Zanesville, Ohio; Cordova, Tennessee; Orlando, Florida; and Piscataway, New Jersey. “These openings have set the stage for our continued growth throughout the rest of the year, particularly in new markets where Bojangles has never been before,” Armario said then.
LOOK BACK: Ready to Grow Again, Bojangles is Going All-In on Experience
Nevada (the Las Vegas unit arrived on January 20, with more planned by year’s end), New Jersey, and Texas (Houston got its first Bojangles on January 21) are all new markets and part of a West Coast and Lone Star State target, with hopes to enter key metros such as L.A. and Phoenix. Bojangles signed franchise deals, it said, in Southern California and Houston—the latter of which should boast seven additional Bojangles by September. SoCal circled Orange County, Riverside, and San Bernardino, and the company said it plans to sell the L.A. market out by mid-2025.
New Jersey, which debuted on April 23, was the first New York DMA Bojangles and a step toward larger Northeast plans, the company said. ADS Restaurant Group—the franchisee behind the Piscataway, New Jersey, Bojangles—has signed on to open 10 in Central Jersey.
The brand also announced projections: Orlando, Florida; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Dallas and Houston, Texas; and a first Colorado location. The concept is also further targeting New Jersey, New York, Texas, Denver, and Kansas City.
To dig into Bojangles’ progress thus far, albeit admittedly still early, let’s unpack Bojangles’ results from its recent FDD. To start, the brand lifted to 825 total outlets year-end 2025—growth of 12 net. That followed expansion of 25 the year earlier and 15 the year before. So Bojangles has hiked from 773 restaurants start of 2022 to 825 ahead of 2025.
The brand retracted by 19 on the company-owned side (total of 266) and lifted by 31 for franchised (559). Those followed 2023 results of growth of four and 21, respectively. Bojangles has steadily ramped up franchising with expansion of 11, 21, and 31 stores in the past three calendars.
There were nine transfers (outlets from franchisees to new owners other than corporate) in 2024 and 38 and 24 the previous two years, respectively. Much of that owed to Georgia moving 23 stores in 2023.
Bojangles’ growth in 2024 included 35 openings, no terminations, one store required by the company, and two closures for “other reasons.” The closure report was a material slowdown from 2023, when Bojangles ceased operations at eight units and terminated five. The prior year, Bojangles ceased nine, reacquired four, and terminated zero. The total openings in 2024 at 35 were essentially aligned with 2023 (35 versus 34), just with a higher net due to the lack of shutterings. Bojangles opened 24 gross in 2022.
But the franchise map itself is where the whitespace unrolls:
Franchised openings in 2024 (total year-end store footprint in parentheses)
- Alabama: 13 (this was a major uptick from the prior two years when there was just an opening apiece. Bojangles has gone from 19 to 33 restaurants in the past three years).
- Arkansas: Zero (total of there)
- Florida: Zero (total of three)
- Georgia: Six (total of 108, up from 99 in 2022).
- Illinois: Zero (total of three)
- Kentucky: One (total of four, up from one in 2022)
- Maryland: One (this is down from five in 2022 as five stores were terminated in 2023)
- Mississippi: One (total of four, up from one in 2022)
- North Carolina: Two (total of 180, up from 176 in 2022)
- Ohio: Zero (total of three, up from zero in 2022)
- Pennsylvania: Zero (total of two)
- South Carolina: One (total of 100, up from 93 in 2022)
- Tennessee: Nine (total of 45, up year-over-year from 36)
- Texas: One (total of two, up from zero in 2022)
- Virginia: Zero (total of 71, up from 68 in 2022)
- West Virginia: Zero (total of one)
On the company side, Bojangles sold 19 outlets to franchisees last year, closed three, reacquired one from a franchisee, and opened two. Again, this was a shift from previous years. Bojangles in 2023 and 2022 opened 11 and 12 company stores, respectively. In 2022, it also reacquired four, closed 11, and sold one to an operator. In 2023, it reacquired none, closed three, and sold four to franchisees.
Bojangles, as it mentioned earlier, has a lot of expansion stirring. As of December 29, there were 56 franchise agreements signed without an outlet opened. It’s projecting 48 new franchised stores in fiscal 2025 and 24 company (this is not inclusive of any closures).
In that, Bojangles earmarked three franchises four Alabama, one for Colorado (the debut), one apiece for Louisiana and Maryland, two for Mississippi, four for North Carolina, two for New Jersey, two for Ohio, five for South Carolina, and the major kicker—15 in Texas.
The 15-store franchise plan for Texas also includes the expectation of nine company stores in the state. So Bojangles could balloon from six total Texas restaurants to 30 in a year’s time (assuming no closures).
Getting into performance, the majority of Bojangles’ system last year pushed gross sales in the $2 million to nearly $3 million range. This, notably, was for full-size units with bone-in chicken on the menu.
The average gross sales for Bojangles franchises last year were $2.441.7 million and $2.157.8 million for median. The top-earner made $7.712 million.
For company, it was $2.176 and $2.127.7 million, respectively, with the range going from $780,693 to $5.105 million. To reiterate, all bone-in chicken.
Some food cost and daypart metrics for those bone-in locations:
Bojangles also revealed figures for these full-size stores with the boneless-chicken-only menu. This chart is a critical one for the brand as it continues to make the case to take this approach into fresh markets.
The brand is generating pretty comparable gross figures, while still in its relative infancy—five franchised and three corporate stores with the boneless menu were not open a full year as of December. There also seems to be, somewhat, a percentage trade-off in breakfast and late night.
Lastly, Bojangles showed results for its “express” locations. As you’d imagine, they’re mostly generating lower sales on smaller footprints (typically 800 to 3,800 square feet). These are attached to another business, like a C-store or grocer, food court, or contained within an airport, college campus, or travel plaza, or the drive-thru only builds without interior seating and walk-up units with drive-thru windows.
The full-size Bojangles range from 1,400 to 3,900 square feet.
The total investment necessary to begin operation of a traditional, free-standing Bojangles is $2,650,870 to $3,829,400. This includes $35,000 paid to the company. The total investment necessary to begin operation of an Express store, developed as part of another retail operation, is $778,670 to $1,886,900.
