Bojangles, the popular Southern fried chicken restaurant chain, has announced a major expansion in New Jersey with 10 new locations planned. The new Bojangles locations set to build will be found across Middlesex, Essex, Union, Bergen, and Hudson counties.

The chain was founded in North Carolina in the 70s and mainly focused on the Southeastern U.S. until recently. Now they are expanding and its first 10 restaurants in New Jersey are part of that growth. An additional 35 new Bojangles are in the pipeline for 2022.

Jose Costa, chief growth officer of Bojangles said in a statement, “We have an exciting future ahead in New Jersey and look forward to expanding our footprint throughout the region.” All ten locations will be owned and operated by the same franchisee, Dipak Patel & Agam Vaidya, who operate a total of 56 various franchises, including Burger Kings, in the Northeast.

Bojangles offers a variety of prototypes for franchisees to consider when building out their portfolio, including a prototype featuring the “Biscuit Theater,” which allows guests to witness the brand’s beloved buttermilk biscuits being made from scratch. The chain is known for its biscuits, and its main offering, Cajun-spiced fried chicken.

Opening dates for the new Bojangles have not been announced.

Another chicken favorite, Chick-Fil-A, has opened two new Garden State stores in the past week, with one in Freehold and one in Hackensack. That brings the total number of Chick-fil-A restaurants in New Jersey to 55.

Both Bojangles and Chick-fil-A have a ways to go to catch Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen; there are 88 of those in New Jersey. KFC has 56 Garden State stores.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Doyle only.

You can now listen to Deminski & Doyle — On Demand! Hear New Jersey’s favorite afternoon radio show any day of the week. Download the Deminski & Doyle show wherever you get podcasts, on our free app, or listen right now:

50 Most Popular Chain Restaurants in America

YouGov investigated the most popular dining brands in the country, and Stacker compiled the list to give readers context on the findings. Read on to look through America's vast and divergent variety of restaurants—maybe you'll even find a favorite or two.

NJ words that should be added to the dictionary

13 words submitted by Steve Trevelise's followers for inclusion in the Dictionary — because somebody's got to explain New Jersey to the rest of the country.

Questions to ask to see if someone’s REALLY from New Jersey

More From New Jersey 101.5 FM