Bojangles Continues Rapid Growth With 20 New Stores

Most of the restaurants that Bojangles has opened throughout its nearly 50-year history are located in the South and Southeast, leaving consumers in other parts of the country to crave the regional chain's famous fried chicken, scratch-made biscuits, and sweet tea from afar. But in the future, more poultry lovers out West will get the chance to try Bojangles' southern fare as the chain ramps up its expansion plans.

Bojangles just inked an agreement to open 20 new locations in Phoenix, "marking the next chapter of the brand's expansion West," according to a press release. Restaurant operator LVP Restaurant Group, LLC, will lead the development of the new stores in partnership with the real estate developer Kingsbarn Realty Capital.

This new agreement builds on a previously announced deal with LVP and Kingsbarn that will bring 20 Bojangles restaurants to Las Vegas and 10 additional stores to TravelCenters of America locations across the West.

"We're excited to expand our partnership with LVP and Kingsbarn as we continue to grow Bojangles outside of our core in the Southeast. They have proven to be strong operators, have a deep understanding of their markets, and share our commitment to bringing Bojangles West," Jim Cannon, chief development officer of Bojangles, said in a statement.

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Cannon added that demand for chicken is soaring right now, plus the new boneless chicken menu Bojangles launched last year has performed well each time the chain enters a new market. This makes the company confident that consumers out West will welcome the Bojangles brand.

"We know guests in Phoenix are going to love the Southern flavor of Bojangles food and hospitality, and we look forward to working closely with the LVP and Kingsbarn teams to open these restaurants," Cannon said. The announcement didn't say when these 20 restaurants may open, so consumers in Phoenix should stay tuned for more details on timing moving forward.

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The new Bojangles expansion deal builds on the chain's already ambitious growth plans for the future. Earlier this year, Bojangles announced that it committed to opening a whopping 270 new restaurants throughout 2023. While the announcement didn't share a timeline for the openings, these new store commitments should put the chain on track to surpass 1,000 locations, since it currently operates more than 800 restaurants.

Bojangles is also making some key changes to its business as part of its current growth strategy. In addition to the boneless chicken menu it launched last year, the chain has introduced a new restaurant design and staffing model aimed at simplifying operations and improving the customer experience. The release said this new strategy has already been implemented "within several restaurants across the U.S., most recently in Ohio, Texas, and Florida, among others."