Driving in the southern states along the East Coast, more often than not Bojangles will flash across the upcoming exit’s interstate logo sign as you pass.  With over 550 locations in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, Bojangles has become synonymous with southern-style cooking and the South itself.  Why, then, is this “chicken-n-biscuits” fast-food retailer pushing for additional growth in the DMV?

“There are opportunities here for restaurants like Bojangles to thrive.  Other fried chicken operators struggled here for various reasons, but not because there was no market for it.  Bojangles is filling a void in the D.C. region,” says Chris Pamboukian, Rappaport’s Director of Brokerage and Bojangles’ Tenant Representative alongside Melissa Webb within Northern Virginia.  While Bojangles does have a presence in the D.C. Metropolitan area, the expansion has been gradual with most Virginia locations in the southern half of the state, only one location in D.C. Proper and a handful of Maryland stores in Prince George’s County.

The demographics in the D.C. region are among the best in the country, with median household incomes nearing six figures and nearly half of residents attaining an associate degree or higher.  Tapping into this market seems like an obvious choice for any retailer, but for Bojangles, there is the additional “spokes on a wheel” factor that Chris mentions in another blog post about opening a second retail location.  This is the natural progression for Bojangles; with a prosperous and saturated market in the Southeast, the “spokes” should inevitably extend north and west.

The North-Carolina-based franchise restaurant chain is pursuing endcap or freestanding sites between 2,600 to 3,800 square feet in the area, honing in on Loudoun County to achieve five new locations over the next five years.

For more information regarding Bojangles’ growth and leasing opportunities, visit their Retailer page here.

Author Rappaport

More posts by Rappaport

Leave a Reply