Extra-large order: Bojangles expanding its Charlotte HQ in move to another part of town

Bojangles, the iconic chicken-and-biscuit fast-food chain, said late Monday afternoon it is moving its Charlotte headquarters and more than doubling its space. But it’s not going too far.

The 45-year-old company will move out of its longtime corporate offices at 9432 Southern Pine Blvd. in south Charlotte into a much larger space just about 1 1/2 miles away at 500 Forest Point Circle.

Bojangles expects to move about 170 employees into the new offices next year, the company said in a news release Monday. Its employees currently work in separate facilities at multiple buildings.

The one-story, 23,693-square-foot building at Southern Pine was built in 1983, according to Mecklenburg County property records.

The new 61,448-square-foot space at Forest Point Circle will be remodeled by Gensler for Bojangles and designed to house employees working on menu and equipment innovation, kitchen design and quality assurance, Bojangles said. There also will be a training center wing.

The one-store building was built in 1999, county records show. The building with 319 parking spaces was renovated in 2020, according to LoopNet.com. The property is owned by Forest Park V LLC in Birmingham, Alabama, county records show.

“As our company has evolved and grown over the past few years, our space needs have changed dramatically,” Bojangles CEO Jose Armario said in a statement Monday.

Bojangles restaurants expanding too

Bojangles has been undergoing a major store expansion over the last two years, with over 140 stores planned — including debuting restaurants in Ohio, New York and Texas. Over 40 restaurants also opened at Love’s Travel Stops in the Midwest and Southeast.

Bojangles also is adding more than 100 franchise locations, including in new territories such as Columbus, Ohio; Orlando, Florida; Dallas, Houston and Austin, Texas; and northern New Jersey, according to the chicken chain.

Last month, Patricia Halpin was named vice president of growth in charge of leading Bojangles’ franchise expansion across the U.S.

Bojangles has more than 760 restaurants in 14 states. In 2019, the chain was sold to two New York private equity and investment firms, Durational Capital Management and The Jordan Co.

Bojangles lawsuit, labor law violations

Bojangles also has been faced with some serious issues recently.

This month, Bojangles was sued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which claimed a Greensboro store employee was subjected to a sexually hostile work environment and retaliated against after reporting the offenses to multiple supervisors.

The EEOC is seeking back pay, compensatory damages and punitive damages for the employee, plus relief to prevent future harassment and retaliation in the workplace.

In June, Bojangles’ largest franchisee was ordered to pay $11,744 in penalties for violating child labor law. The company also must make changes at stores in six states.

BOJ of WNC LLC allowed minors to work outside of permitted hours at a Spartanburg, S.C., Bojangles while school was in session, a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation found.

This story was originally published September 12, 2022 at 5:33 PM with the headline "Extra-large order: Bojangles expanding its Charlotte HQ in move to another part of town."