Bojangles’, a chicken and biscuit chain restaurant with North Carolina roots, recently announced they would be making the move into Arkansas through a partnership with Love’s Travel Stops.
Other states joining Arkansas in the expansion are Illinois, Mississippi and Oklahoma.
A total of 40 Love’s across the four states will have a Bojangles’ inside.
One Love’s, in Virginia, already has a Bojangles’ and other chain restaurant choices inside the travel stops include Arby’s, Hardees and Burger King, among many others.
“Love’s is the perfect partner,” said Jose Costa, Chief Development Officer for Bojangles’ in a release. “Whether for breakfast, lunch or dinner, we want to be able to combine a great Southern meal with a fast and easy way to refuel and get back on the road.”
Bojangles’ already has not quite 800 locations across the southeast corner of the United States, while Love’s has more than 500 locations in 41 states with its home base being in Oklahoma.
In Arkansas, Love’s has 17 locations, almost entirely along the various interstates that criss-cross the state. They have two locations in North Little Rock and also West Memphis, with the others in: Little Rock, Malvern, Morrilton, Pine Bluff, Hazen, Searcy, Prescott, Palestine, Ozark, Lake Village, Alma, Jonesboro and Blytheville.
“We are excited to offer our customers another delicious and fresh food option while they’re on the road,” said Joe Cotton, who is director of restaurant services for Love’s. “Bringing Bojangles’ to our home state of Oklahoma along with Arkansas, Mississippi and Illinois is something we’re happy to be a part of.”
Which of those Love’s in Arkansas would get a Bojangles was still being worked out by the corporate teams of the respective businesses.
Bojangles’ currently has 759 restaurants, with 319 being corporate owned and the remainder being franchises.
The new locations would be “managed by a dedicated Bojangles’-trained Love’s team,” the company said in a release.
Bojangles’, according to its website, was already looking to expand into Arkansas before the Love’s announcement was made.
Three cities – Forrest City, Jonesboro and West Memphis – were targeted as potential markets for the chain as franchise locations. Requirements were:
- A parcel size of 1 to 1.2 acres
- A median household income of $45,000 to $70,000
- A trade area that would support breakfast, lunch and dinner
- A traffic count of at least 20,000
- A free-standing building between 2,500 to 3,800 feet with at least 43 parking spaces.
It wasn’t clear if Bojangles’ was going to continue its expansion efforts here after the Love’s announcement.
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