Bojangles CEO bullish on chicken chain going national, as sale speculation simmers
Amid speculation of a potential sale of Bojangles, the 48-year-old Charlotte company has invested several million dollars in its new headquarters here and has set its sights on becoming a national brand.
The iconic Southern chicken-and-biscuits chain synonymous with Charlotte has been rapidly expanding over the past six years.
Since 2019, the company has grown from over 600 stores in 12 states to 838 restaurants in 20 states, CEO Jose Armario, 65, told The Charlotte Observer on Tuesday. The majority of stores, about 560, are franchises, according to the company.
Armario spoke before the grand opening of the 61,448-square-foot renovated office at 500 Forest Point Circle in south Charlotte.
“We’d been in our prior space for almost 30 years, and we had outgrown it a long time ago,” Armario told the Observer. The space provides room for collaboration for culinary innovation, ideas for improving how to run the business, and build on company culture, he said.
For Armario, the new space is also about family. He pointed out his brother, wife, children and grandchildren in the photos on shelves behind his desk. His new office is open for staff to use, too, when he’s not there to collaborate, Armario said.
The Observer spent 30 minutes with Armario talking about everything from Bojangles’ future and commitment to the Charlotte community to artificial intelligence and chicken chain competition on its home turf.
He did not take questions about the potential sale of Bojangles. Our conversation has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
Q&A with Jose Armario
The chicken competition is pretty heated, especially here in Charlotte with more newcomer chains in your territory. What do you think of the competition?
I think what we have to do is worry about what we do. And if we take care of business, we’re going to be just fine. Last year, we performed 400 basis points above the industry (average) because we were focused on giving great experiences, great service, great food at a good value. And it works. People are going to go where the food tastes the best. When we make our food right and serve it right, I would say our food is the best food, and we’re not fast food. We’re good food fast. There’s a big difference.”
What is Bojangles doing to stay competitive?
First and foremost, we got to do what we do every day really well, from our 49-step biscuit to making the chicken right, making sure that we are serving it at the right temperature, freshness. But today’s consumer is also looking for variety. We have started to venture into that a couple years ago from bird dogs to sausage Boberry biscuit to cobblers for dessert to cookies to breakfast burritos. And we have a lot more in the Innovation pipeline. Customers want to have choice while still having their favorites on the menu.
What issues or concerns keep you up at night?
When you’re running a brand like Bojangles, every day you’re inspired to do even better than the day before. You have a lot of franchisees that are counting on you to lead the brand and love the brand. You have people working for you that want to grow and want to have a career. And you have suppliers that are depending on you with their volume. I take that responsibility very seriously. I wouldn’t say it keeps me up at night as much as it inspires me when I get up every morning.
Bojangles recently started using AI for drive-thru ordering. What are other ways AI is being used and what does it mean for the company’s workforce?
Today’s consumer really wants convenience. Back in the day, just having a location in the right place was convenience, then the drive-thru was invented. Today, the consumer wants the ability to not just go through the drive-thru, but have a second lane, use a great app so they can order ahead or have it brought to the curbside. The AI drive-through voice called Bolinda should be at about 450 restaurants by the end of the year.
So, to me, it’s about the evolving consumer and having technology ready for them. And that also means giving our managers the tools and resources to generate a good profit. AI right now is totally focused on the drive-thru experience and our self-ordering kiosks. It will evolve but that’s where we’re focused today.
Where do you see the company in five years in terms of growth and staff levels?
We’ve had 38 consecutive years system sales growth. That says a lot about the strength of this brand. But I think it’s going to be about over a 1,000 locations would be my expectation within five years, probably in over 30 states. We’re in 20 today, so 50% growth on the number of states. And to continue to grow our footprint in the states that we’re currently in with franchisees.
Bojangles is known for its sponsorships of sports teams, including the Carolina Panthers, Charlotte FC and Bojangles Coliseum, as well as supporting community organizations around Charlotte. Do you anticipate any changes to that level of support?
The change I expect is for us to be more involved in our local communities and we’ve been doing that. We launched our Bojangles Foundation three years (ago) now. We have three missions behind our foundation to support military and first responder families. If you’re a responsible brand, part of your responsibility is to give back to the customers that give you so much. This is a brand that’s done that since its existence.
Bojangles, like other restaurants, has weathered the pandemic, inflation and labor shortages. Now there are more pressures. Are you concerned about Bojangles workforce and production with ICE raids at restaurants and farms? And as a Cuban immigrant, what’s your opinion about what’s happening?
We’re a company that doesn’t take a political point of view. We don’t get involved in that. At the end of the day, what we’re here to do is serve our customers, whoever they are, and we want to do the best we can for them. And that’s our mission.
Have the on-and-off tariffs impacted Bojangles with availability and pricing?
It’s been very limited because most of our food products are sourced locally or within the United States. We did have a few challenges with some building and equipment that we import from Canada, but it was very limited
Bojangles’ national aspirations, Carolina roots
Since becoming CEO in 2019, you’ve thought that Bojangles should be a national brand. What will it take to become a national brand, how long and what kind of capital?
We’re almost there. Almost there. We do have two signed development agreements for California so if those openings happen this year, we’ll be able to say that we’re a national brand from coast to coast. But certainly I would like us to be in every state in the continental U.S. That’s going to take a second. We continue to invest heavily in company stores and in systems that allow our franchisees to grow successfully.
I read that you just purchased a new $6.8 million home in Charlotte. How does Charlotte and the Carolinas factor into the company’s goals?
We’re a Carolina-born company. My wife and I are very happy here, and we’ve decided that Charlotte is going to remain our home. We’re putting our roots down here, whether it’s by buying a house or being the CEO of Bojangles, we’re going to be in Charlotte for the rest of our lives.
Tell me something about yourself that would surprise people who know you.
I would say that I’m like many immigrants that come to this country. This is still the greatest country in the world, in my opinion, that still has opportunity. I’m a self-made man. I started working full-time when I was 12 years old. I started in this industry when I was 14. I met my wife in high school. We’ve been married 45 years. We’ve been blessed with a great family. We’ve been blessed with great opportunity. This is an industry that really is all about meritocracy.
That’s what I loved about it. And I was fortunate to take advantage of a lot of great opportunities that were afforded me and to have a great supporting wife and to grow in this industry in a way that I never thought I could.
I love the my Miami Hurricanes. I’m a graduate of the University of Miami, big supporter of the University of Miami. I’m a family man I love muscle cars in particularly, Shelby and Boss Mustangs. I just count my blessings every day.
What is your favorite item on the menu, and how often do you eat?
I eat a Bojangles almost every day. For breakfast, I love a steak, egg and cheese biscuit. For lunch, I love our Bo chicken sandwich with seasoned fries. And for dinner, I love our Supremes and our Bo bites with barbecue sauce, dirty rice, mac and cheese, and strawberry cobbler to top it off.
Do you pop into different Bojangles in the city unannounced?
All the time. I want to experience what the customer experiences. And then I immediately called folks and let them know how the visit went. Most of the time it’s very good. But when there’s an opportunity, we talk about it and we address it. You have to keep a hot breath to the business every day.
What has been your biggest surprise as you’ve been expanding across the country?
The demand. We’re breaking sales records. Las Vegas has broken all shattered all the records that we had as a company. It’s been, something I thought would happen, and it’s proven to be true.
We’ve opened out throughout Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, New Jersey, Ohio, Florida, and we got plans in Oklahoma, Long Island, Arizona. We’ll be opening up very soon in Pueblo, Colorado. So we’ve got a ton of growth going on and that is a challenge.
You’ve got to develop people. You’ve got to help the franchisees with their training and make sure they open successfully and make sure they’re surrounded by great support. But that’s where this support center comes in and allows us to have a better culinary center, to do innovation around the menu or check the quality.
Building a stronger culture is key if you’re going to grow at the pace we’re growing. We’ve got to be ready for those challenges in this support center. It puts us firmly in place to grow successfully for the next 48 to 50 years In it before everything.
About Bojangles
In 2019, the fast-food chain was sold for $539 million to two New York firms, Durational Capital Management LP and The Jordan Company L.P.
A Wall Street Journal report this month said Bojangles is working with investment bankers on a possible $1.5 billion sale. Bojangles officials have declined to comment on the report, including on Tuesday saying conversation will remain focused on the brand’s commitment to its hometown and future growth plans in the new space.
This year, Bojangles has debuted in Las Vegas, Houston and New Jersey, according to Bojangles, with expansion plans also in California.
It’s all part of Bojangles’ major store expansion since 2020, adding more than 100 franchise locations in new territories such as Columbus, Ohio; Orlando, Florida; Dallas and Austin, Texas; and Phoenix, Arizona.
Bojangles also has opened over 40 restaurants in Love’s Travel Stops in the Midwest and Southeast
This story was originally published June 25, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Bojangles CEO bullish on chicken chain going national, as sale speculation simmers."
