Bojangles' was founded in 1977 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Today, the chain has 671 locations, primarily in the Carolinas, including my personal go-to restaurant in Durham.
The chain is known for its "chicken 'n biscuits." The chicken is hand-breaded and never frozen, while biscuits are made from scratch and baked fresh every 20 minutes.
Other standouts on Bojangles' menu are the sides — or, as Bojangles' calls them, "fixin's" — including cole slaw, "picnic grits," Cajun-flavored pinto beans, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy, and "Bo-Tato Rounds" (mini hash browns).
The service is relatively speedy. In my experience, the longest wait tends to be before ordering. I can't remember an experience visiting a Bojangles' and not having to wait behind others in line, no matter the time — something that makes sense, as business is reasonably spread out throughout the day. Breakfast makes up 38% of sales, while lunch and snacks make up 39%.
I ordered Chicken Supremes, Cajun fries, and a biscuit. The Supremes are adequate chicken tenders — a little drier than I remember, and much better when sandwiched between the delicious, crumbly biscuit.
Along with the biscuit, the fries are what stood out in my meal. Bojangles' is known for its "Cajun" flavoring, and has a large container of spices that customers can shake on their fries. It's a specific-enough flavor that it gives the chain something special and crave-able that keeps bringing customers back for more.
My friend ordered the two-piece dinner, with dirty rice. I much prefer Bojangles' chicken on the bone if it isn't going to be sandwiched in a biscuit. The dirty rice is tasty and, perhaps more importantly, something you're only going to find at a Southern chain like Bojangles'.
Also noteworthy: Bojangles' uses sporks, perfect for offerings like mashed potatoes and dirty rice.
One iconic Bojangles' offering that I skipped: the Bo-Berry Biscuit. The biscuit is good, but with the icing on top, way too sweet for me to actually enjoy. But I know that many believe the Bo-Berry Biscuit is the best thing on the menu. In any case, a Bojangles' article that skips over the treat feels incomplete, even if I personally am not a fan.
But the sweet tea is one of my personal favorite aspects of the Bojangles' experience. The company says that the tea is "steeped the old-fashioned way," which makes the drink sweeter than it ever could be if you simply added sugar to cold iced tea. In fact, one of the few high-school chemistry lessons I remember is going to Bojangles' to learn how "supersaturation" works, as sugar is absorbed by the hot tea in preparation.
At Bojangles', tea refills are readily available. I get one, despite the fact that a regular, 22-ounce sweet tea with ice contains 25 grams of sugar — half of the FDA's recommended daily dosage.
Despite my love for Bojangles', I must admit that the location's design isn't anything special. But with 80% of revenue generated by drive-thru and take-out, it doesn't have to be.
Even though I consider myself a Bojangles' fan, I only visit about twice a year — once every time I'm in North Carolina. The true "Bo fanatics," as the company calls them, visit multiple times a week. Currently, most of these fanatics reside in the Carolinas.
While some of Bojangles' core offerings are foreign in regions to the north and west, the company is well-positioned in the current culinary zeitgeist, as fried-chicken chains like Chick-fil-A explode and the appetite for all-day breakfast increases. If these trends continue, Bojangles' cult could take over the entire US, starting in Alabama and Mississippi.
