Bojangles in 2026: Restaurant Openings, Expansion and What’s Ahead

Content:

1 A Strong Start to 2026
2 What Sets the Bojangles Franchise Apart
3 What’s Driving Bojangles’ Growth
4 Still Have Questions About the Bojangles Franchise Opportunity?

The chicken category has earned a top spot in the quick-service space. Strong consumer demand, broad appeal and steady category growth have made it one of the most attractive segments in the restaurant industry today.

At Bojangles, we’ve spent nearly 50 years building a brand around flavorful chicken, biscuits and breakfast. The first half of 2026 brought 24 new restaurant openings, expansion into new markets and continued progress toward our next milestone of 900 restaurants, giving us another opportunity to build on that foundation.

A Strong Start to 2026

Among this year’s milestones, we entered Oklahoma and Michigan for the first time and celebrated an opening in Brooklyn, bringing Bojangles to one of the country’s most competitive urban markets. Beyond those market entries, we expanded our presence with restaurant openings across Texas, Nevada, New Jersey, Florida, Ohio, Arkansas and throughout the Southeast.

Together, these openings reflect our commitment to growing the brand thoughtfully while creating opportunities for future franchise development. As we move toward our next milestone of 900 restaurants, we’ve expanded across both emerging and established markets, introducing Bojangles to new communities while building on the foundation that has supported our growth for nearly 50 years.

What Sets the Bojangles Franchise Apart

Breakfast drives approximately 30%* of system sales, making it one of the strongest differentiators in our business. While many restaurant concepts focus primarily on lunch and dinner, we serve guests across three established dayparts, creating multiple opportunities to drive traffic and sales throughout the day.

Our investment in the brand goes beyond franchise development. We operate approximately 31% of Bojangles restaurants ourselves, giving our leadership team firsthand experience with the same opportunities and challenges our franchisees encounter every day. That level of involvement helps shape decisions, test initiatives and strengthen the support we provide across the system.

Since our first location in the Carolinas in 1977, we’ve expanded across the country while refining our menu, operations and support systems. Franchisees benefit from nearly five decades of experience while helping shape the brand’s next chapter of growth.

What’s Driving Bojangles’ Growth

The first half of 2026 showcased where Bojangles is growing today, but just as importantly, it highlighted how much opportunity remains ahead.

As we get closer to our 900th restaurant opening, available territories across the country continue to create opportunities for qualified operators interested in developing with the brand. Recent openings in Oklahoma, Brooklyn, Texas, Nevada and other markets demonstrate the breadth of that opportunity and the demand for the Bojangles experience in communities both inside and outside our traditional footprint.

For entrepreneurs evaluating a franchise opportunity, growth matters, but so does runway. We believe the combination of available whitespace, strong brand awareness and nearly 50 years of operating experience creates a compelling platform for long-term expansion.

Still Have Questions About the Bojangles Franchise Opportunity?

Why do investors consider chicken a strong franchise category?

Chicken combines broad consumer appeal with strong demand across quick-service dining, making it one of the most attractive categories for many franchise investors.

What makes Bojangles different from other restaurant franchise opportunities?

Bojangles combines a strong chicken menu with an established breakfast business, three operating dayparts and substantial corporate ownership. These factors create a differentiated restaurant franchise opportunity within the QSR industry.

How important is breakfast to the Bojangles business model?

Breakfast generates approximately 30% of system sales, making it one of the brand’s most important revenue drivers and a key differentiator within the industry.

Why does corporate ownership matter?

Bojangles operates approximately 31% of its restaurants. That ownership structure gives corporate leadership firsthand operational experience and keeps the company invested in the same outcomes franchisees pursue.

Where is Bojangles growing?

The brand expanded into Oklahoma during 2026 and added new restaurants across multiple markets during the first half of the year. Additional development opportunities remain available in markets throughout the country.

Is Bojangles a good fit for multi-unit operators?

Many entrepreneurs exploring a multi-unit franchise opportunity look for established systems, operational support and room for expansion. Bojangles offers all three while pursuing its next growth milestone.

*The percentage of sales for the breakfast daypart for company-operated full-size restaurants serving the Boneless Chicken Only menu from December 30, 2024 – December 28, 2025. See the April 20, 2026 Bojangles Franchise Disclosure Document for more information.