Bojangles opened its first restaurant in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1977.
The chain was founded by Jack Fulk and Richard Thomas, who designed a menu centered on seasoned fried chicken, buttermilk biscuits, and Southern-style sides. Its early restaurants helped establish a breakfast-focused identity alongside its chicken meals.
Bojangles is especially associated with Cajun-seasoned fried chicken and made-from-scratch buttermilk biscuits. The company’s distinctive menu separates it from many chains that concentrate primarily on lunch and dinner.
The Charlotte founding date is sometimes confused with the dates of other Southern chicken brands. Church's began in San Antonio in 1952, while Popeyes began in New Orleans in 1972. Bojangles therefore belongs to a later wave of regional fast-food expansion in the American South.