Fried Chicken Chain Bojangles Is Planning a Major Expansion in the Northeast

The chain plans to open 10 restaurants.

Bojangles fried chicken
Photo courtesy of Bojangles
Photo courtesy of Bojangles

Get ready for biscuits and sweet tea. North Carolina-based chain Bojangles plans to expand into the Northeast in a big way.

QSR Magazine reports that the fried chicken purveyor plans to open 10 restaurants in northern New Jersey in collaboration with longtime Burger King franchise owners Dipak Patel and Agam Vaidya. Exact locations and opening dates haven't been selected just yet, but they plan to target Hudson, Bergen, Union, Middlesex, and Essex counties. All five counties lie in the greater New York City metropolitan area.

"There's a lot of demand for Bojangles in the Northeast, and this became more evident when we brought our food truck to Times Square last year to launch our all-new Bo's Chicken Sandwich," said Jose Costa, Chief Growth Officer at Bojangles. "We have an exciting future ahead in New Jersey and look forward to expanding our footprint throughout the region."

Bojangles' Times Square appearance last year had many fried chicken fans hoping the chain had its sights set on opening in New York City. Thus far it looks like they're sticking to New Jersey, although that could change in the future.

Bojangles is known for its fried chicken biscuits and "legendary" sweet tea. It also offers a robust selection of breakfast items—with an estimated 40% of its sales coming before 11 am—and family meals packaged in a famous yellow box. You can check out the chain's full menu online.

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Chris Mench is an editor focusing on NYC News at Thrillist. You can follow him on Twitter for more of his work.