The Untold Truth Of Bojangles'

First off, let us just say that we love fast food. Salt, fat, MSG? Bring it on. But one thing you generally don't expect from a fast food restaurant is a high-quality, from-scratch product. The whole ethos of the fast-food industry is to save as much time as possible, so it just doesn't make sense to make food from scratch when it would be so much easier to just throw a frozen product in the oven.

Bojangles' is setting a different precedent, though. No, the stores aren't getting frozen biscuit disks to simply warm up before serving. They actually make their biscuits fresh, in-house, and crew members put a fresh tray of biscuits in the oven every 20 minutes. In 2011, then-Executive Vice President Eric Newman of Bojangles' told the Nashville Post, "Biscuits are an art form. It's a highly honored position in our restaurants. It's an intricate, delicate process to manage." The 48-step process surely takes a lot more time and effort than using pre-made biscuits, but it's a significant part of why the chain has been so successful.

Oftentimes, Southern restaurants creeping into Yankee territory aren't well-received, especially by those who reside in NYC. They don't necessarily want new fast food restaurants taking over their neighborhoods. Chick-Fil-A's arrival to NYC in 2018 was greeted with a scathing New Yorker article which claimed that "the brand's arrival here feels like an infiltration" and "the air smelled fried." But when, in 1982, Bojangles' took the leap and entered the New York market, the tone from the same outlet wasn't nearly as hostile and seemed to celebrate the opening of the restaurant, even if it wasn't reflective of New Yorker fare.

But, alas, perhaps a fried chicken and biscuit fast food restaurant just wasn't what New Yorkers wanted at the time. The Manhattan location closed its doors in 2007, which means New Yorkers now have to take a road trip if they want to get their hands on some Bojangles' fried chicken and biscuits. The northernmost location of the store is now in Reading, Pennsylvania.

These days, it's getting rarer and rarer to eat inside a fast food restaurant. The atmosphere of your typical fast food joint usually isn't what people would consider inviting, especially with changing ideas about fast food, its health consequences, and its overall desirability. Just think about the disappearance of McDonald's PlayPlaces over the years... what incentive is there to go inside the restaurant now?

Still, drive-thrus have a sort of appeal that's probably not going anywhere anytime soon, especially considering the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. After all, drive-thrus were what allowed fast food chains to make a comeback in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis. Bojangles' may have been ahead of the curve, though. All the way back in 2017, the company claimed that 80% of its revenue came from drive-thru and take-out orders. In a changing world where customers want to reduce physical contact at restaurants but still want freshly-made, convenient meals, Bojangles' might be especially well-positioned to fill that niche.

The co-founder of Bojangles' didn't start off as a complete newbie when he and Richard Thomas opened their first Bojangles' restaurant in the late 70s. Jack Fulk received several college scholarships during high school thanks to his talent on the football field, but he turned them down so he could work and make money for his family instead. So, in 1971, Fulk became a Hardee's franchisee. This was his introduction into the fast-food business, and rumors are that he was always in trouble with corporate for tweaking recipes and trying to come up with his own formulas. Hardee's was annoyed, and Fulk used the fast food chain as a testing ground for his biscuits. 

This was an early sign that Fulk would go on to do bigger and better things. It was only six years after his fast-food debut that Fulk would go on to partner with Thomas to create what we now know as the Bojangles' empire. Even though the first Bojangles' restaurant was in a rougher part of Charlotte and they were pretty much starting from scratch, the partners' commitment to quality helped propel them to success in a relatively short amount of time.

Bojangles' might specialize in chicken biscuits, but there's one super-popular item on the menu that's conspicuously chicken-free: the Cheddar Bo. At first, this item wasn't widely available. It could only be found at a few stores for a limited time. But, as is to be expected in the age of the internet, there was an uproar online. Customers wanted their Cheddar Bo back. And when you consider the simple masterpiece that is this cheesy biscuit, it's easy to understand why there was even a Change.org petition to get it back on the menu.

Luckily, Bojangles' listened to its outspoken Cheddar Bo fans and brought the sandwich back for a limited time — at first. That wasn't enough, though, so finally, all participating restaurants started selling Cheddar Bos permanently. A few years ago, news outlets reported that Cheddar Bos would be leaving some Bojangles' locations across several states, but that appeared to be a false alarm. One thing is for sure: The people have spoken, and they don't want Bojangles' to drop this popular cheese-smothered creation any time soon.

A few years ago, something unexpected happened to a man who'd visited a Bojangles' location in the Richmond, Virginia, area. In 2016, James Minor ordered a meal at the drive-thru. When he got his chicken, though, he noticed it was cold, so he sent it back while he waited for a fresh order. But when he checked the box, he didn't find his meal — he found $4,500.

WTVR CBS 6 reported that Minor went back to the restaurant to tell the manager what happened. He said, "I'm honest. I know what integrity is. I have integrity." He wondered if he was being set up or if someone inside the store was attempting to steal money. Instead of receiving gratitude for returning the money, though, Minor was met with disrespect from the manager about how the store would have called the authorities on him. Minor said, "Here I am doing a good thing, bringing the money back. Most folks probably would've kept on going and wouldn't have recognized it until they got home."

Minor complained, and the company offered him a free meal and a tailgate party, then offered him a $100 gift certificate when he called Bojangles' corporate headquarters. Understandably, Minor wasn't pleased. "I deserve respect, an apologetic letter from the Bojangles' company, and probably a cash reward," Minor said. "What is a $100 gift certificate when you're bringing in $4,500?"

Since Bojangles' does have a limited number of locations, you may not be able to find it wherever you live. But before you make the drive from L.A. to Charlotte, you should know that you can at least attempt to make some of your favorite Bojangles' recipes at home. Bojangles' fans from across the country have come up with their own copycat recipes, and they're worth a try if you like spending time in the kitchen. The biscuits, fried chicken, and even sweet tea are a must. And if you're looking for a way to bring some Southern inspiration to your table on Thanksgiving, you can try a Bojangles'-inspired turkey.

Be warned that these recipes may not taste exactly like your Bojangles' favorites, but just look at it as an opportunity to put your own spin on things. At the very least, maybe it can hold you over until you can get your hands on a Bojangles' chicken biscuit of your own.