Bojangles Expanding Fried Chicken Empire Outside Southeast

CHARLOTTE, NC — Heads up sweet tea and Cajun biscuit lovers — Bojangles fried chicken and its signature buttermilk biscuits will soon be available outside the southeast.

The Charlotte-based fast-food restaurant has plans to expand into Ohio, New York, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, "and filling in all the states" in between, the company told The Charlotte Observer.

All total, the company is set to add at least 45 new locations by 2028 to its existing roster of 763 locations. More than a dozen will open in Columbus, Ohio before the end of 2021, the newspaper said.

Bojangles has a solid fan base thanks in part to its buttermilk biscuits, which The Daily Meal called "Things of beauty." The restaurant takes the business of biscuit making serious, hiring a full-time worker who focuses on nothing but the 48 steps that goes into their baking. "Before they make their first biscuit, however, they have to go through a rigorous training regimen and even sign a detailed contract," the food site said.