First restaurant will open late this year; 10 may pop up in coming years

Fried chicken chain Bojangles is gearing up to open multiple locations in the Austin area and is seeking additional real estate to expand even more.

The North Carolina-based company encountered delays since announcing in early 2022 that it was coming to Austin, but it’s now put a timeline on three of its four franchised Austin-area store openings — which will be staggered from late this year to the third quarter next year. Additionally, its two Austin-area franchisees are aiming for about eight additional sites combined.

BoATX, the franchisee that owns the rights to North Austin, plans to add another two to three locations on top of the four already in the works. Fresh Biscuit LLC is the franchisee for South Austin — with downtown as the dividing line — and it’s aiming to open about five locations, according to Brooks Speirs, vice president of franchise sales at Bojangles Restaurants Inc. The South Austin locations are future deals that won’t happen before 2027, Speirs said.

Bojangles is looking to do ground leases around the Austin metro because it’s been difficult to buy land in Austin, he said. The chain looks for 1-acre lots to build stores between 2,600 square feet and 2,800 square feet, with double drive-thrus. The chain’s demographic is a “younger, more vibrant consumer,” he said, adding that Bojangles also wants to be co-tenants with businesses such as Costco, Target, Sam’s Club and other like-minded quick service restaurant competition.

Though it’s known for fried chicken, breakfast makes up about 30% of Bojangles’ sales, so Speirs said the company prefers to open locations on the sides of roads passed by the most morning traffic.

Still, chicken constitutes the bulk of its business.

“Some restaurant chains out there are struggling in this market,” Speirs said. “But if you look at all the restaurant chains that are doing extremely well, there’s a common theme — there’s chicken, chicken, chicken.”

A number of chicken restaurants have been growing in the metro. Hattie B’s, a Nashville hot chicken chain, continues to expand here. The Austin franchisee for Layne’s Chicken Fingers has secured two locations and plans to open 15, with the potential for even more. South African restaurant Nando’s Peri-Peri, which offers a variety of grilled chicken in its special sauce, opened one location in Austin and is still seeking more real estate. And Chicken Salad Chick is also on the rise in the metro.

Bojangles’ four Austin metro stores
The chain is still in the process of beginning construction in Austin, but Speirs pegged the cost of building a location in Houston, where it has a growing presence, at about $2.6 million.

Here is the timeline for the four locations underway in the Austin metro:

* Construction begins the week of May 5 on the Manor location at U.S. Highway 290 at Tillgang Pass. It’s slated to open in the fourth quarter of this year.

* A Georgetown location, at 4804 Williams Drive, is slated to open in the second quarter of 2026.

* A Round Rock location, at the northwest corner of U.S. Highway 79 and Kenney Fort Boulevard, will open in the third quarter of 2026.

* A Liberty Hill location, at 13003 State Highway 29, has stalled due to some water issues, so it doesn’t have an opening date yet.

Franchisee BoATX is still looking for real estate to complete its planned count of roughly seven Bojangles on the north side of the metro. Speirs said the plan is to open the remaining restaurants in 2027 and 2028. Bojangles’ Austin metro broker is Kelly Arnold with CLD Realty.