Greenville first to get newly designed Bojangles' restaurant concept

The company known for its scratch-made biscuits, hand breaded chicken and famously seasoned fries is launching a new, updated restaurant design and the first one will be in Greenville.

Bojangles', which announced plans to create a new branded look beginning in 2017, will open the first new store in Greenville in January.

Construction on the new 3,900-square-foot restaurant is underway and once completed, it will replace the longstanding Bojangles store at 2405 Laurens Rd., said Randy Icard, vice president of construction and development for Bojangles'.

The updated restaurant model brings Bojangles' into the fast casual realm with a more inviting dining room, an open kitchen area that will allow customers to watch all the action of the restaurant’s popular biscuits and new technology.

“This enables us to enhance the customer experience,” Icard said.

The new restaurant design, which was created by San Francisco-based brand strategy and design firm, Tesser, incorporates a warmer feel, Icard said, with improved landscaping, and a more contemporary look that includes Wi-Fi and charging stations and even high top community tables.

Food will also now be displayed in what Icard said is a “more aesthetically pleasing” way, in crocks rather than the traditional heat well. And, the restaurant will roll out a more concerted table service effort, whereby customer will be able to place their order, grab a drink and then have their food brought out to their table.

“It’s a much higher caliber of dining experience,” Icard said.

In addition, the new look includes space for what is being called the “Biscuit Theater.” Bojangles' has recently received attention for the fact that it actually makes its biscuits from scratch and churns them out fresh every 20 minutes. Each restaurant location has a designated master biscuit maker that oversees the process, Icard said.

The biscuit baking station will now be visible to the public thanks to a glass window that allows people a clear look into the kitchen.

“It’s all about the biscuit,” Icard said. “We wanted to bring that right up front. So you will be able to see the master biscuit maker rolling and cutting and mixing all day.”

Bojangles' will open its first newly designed restaurant at 2419 Laurens Rd., in Greenville in January. The company plans to roll out more throughout 2017.

Regular updates about the new Bojangles’ in Greenville, including grand opening news, will be posted on Bojangles.com, Twitter (@Bojangles1977), Instagram (@Bojangles_1977) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/BojanglesGreenville592).