FRANCHISE·WATCH·DESK

Verified — real FDD extraction

Not found in the SBA Franchise Directory — SBA financing may be unavailable; verify with your lender

BOJANGLES'

Other · independent · est. —

Bojangles' is a quick-service chain known for Southern-style fried chicken, made-from-scratch biscuits, and breakfast served all day. A franchisee develops and operates freestanding drive-thru restaurants with large hourly crews, with breakfast a major sales daypart.

BOJANGLES' net unit count grew +6.1% from 20232025 per its FDD Item 20.

New to franchising? Start here

A franchise is a business where you (the franchisee) pay a company (the franchisor) for the right to open and run a location using their brand and system — think a local Anytime Fitness or Taco John's owned by a small-business owner, not the corporation.

Before you can buy in, U.S. law requires the franchisor to give you a Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) — a long legal filing covering its fees, finances, and history. The numbers on this page come straight from that document:

  • Franchise fee — the one-time cost to buy in.
  • Royalty — the ongoing cut of your sales you pay the franchisor.
  • Item 20 — how many locations opened and closed, the basis for our verdict (from Proven & strong down to Distressed — or Too new to judge).

The verdict

Proven & steady

Distress

0
STABLE

A real track record with an unremarkable region of the ledger: neither the growth nor the exits stand out, for better or worse. The main concern in the record: owners are leaving at a high rate.

Exit rate · latest year

0.5%

fiscal 2025, per Item 20

Cost to open

$2.9M–$4.0M

Item 7 total investment range

SBA loan defaults

No loan record

no SBA 7(a)/504 loans found for this brand

Behind the verdict

the record, factor by factor · Item 20

hi-1.0.0
Net unit growth35%

3-yr trend · Item 20 Table 1

Strong
Exit quality25%

terminations + ceased-ops vs. all exits · Table 3

Strong
Transfer / churn15%

transfers vs. base · Table 3

Weak
Promise-keeping10%

actual vs. projected openings · Table 5

Fair
Transparency15%

Item 19 disclosure + completeness

Strong

Systemwide units

2023–2025

+6.1%
817202383020248672025

Survival record

FDD Item 20 · outlet status by year

In fiscal 2025, 3 of 564 franchised outlets left the system — a 0.5% annualized exit rate. Not every exit is a failure — but this is the measurable floor.

Show the outlet tables
Status (FTC)202320242025
Outlets at start792817830
Opened343531
Transfers389128
Terminations500
Non-renewals000
Reacquired by franchisor011
Ceased — other reasons823
Outlets at end817830867
Net change+25+13+37

What it costs — and what it drags

FDD Items 5–7 · fees, investment, royalty

Buying in means a $35K franchise fee (Item 5) and a total investment of $2.9M–$4.0M (Item 7). The franchisor publishes an earnings claim (Item 19) — read its methodology closely.

To open (Item 7)

$2.9M–$4.0M

all-in investment range

Franchise fee (Item 5)

$35K

upfront, one-time

Royalty (Item 6)

4%

of sales, ongoing

If a unit does this in annual sales…$1M/yr

Your figure — cross-check against this brand's Item 19 and current-owner validation.

Royalty you'd pay / yr

$40K

4% of sales, before profit

Over a 10-yr term

$400K

royalties alone, excl. ad fund

This is not profit. It's the only money the FDD actually pins down — what you put in, and the royalty you owe on every dollar of sales. Your real take-home depends on labor, rent, food cost, and ramp-to-breakeven, none of which any FDD discloses.

Build a real pro-forma for BOJANGLES' with an independent CPA

Distress signals

news-sourced · bankruptcies, closures, lawsuits

No recent closures, bankruptcies, or major lawsuits found in the news for BOJANGLES'. That's a good sign — but it reflects news coverage, not a guarantee.

Before you sign anythingfree · 30 min · no commission

A broker is paid by the franchisor to place you. An independent CPA is paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing BOJANGLES''s numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.

Talk to an independent CPA before you buy →

BOJANGLES' franchise questions, answered from the filings

What percentage of BOJANGLES' franchises closed last year?

In BOJANGLES''s latest FDD Item 20 (fiscal 2025), 3 of 564 franchised outlets left the system — an annualized exit rate of 0.5%. That counts terminations, non-renewals, and "ceased operations — other reasons." There is no official failure rate, and not every exit is a failure, but this is the measurable floor.

How much does a BOJANGLES' franchise cost?

Per BOJANGLES''s 2026 FDD, buying in requires an initial franchise fee of $35K (Item 5) and a total initial investment of $2.9M–$4.0M (Item 7).

What royalty does BOJANGLES' charge?

BOJANGLES' charges an ongoing royalty of 4.0% of gross sales, per Item 6 of its 2026 FDD.

Does BOJANGLES' disclose earnings (Item 19)?

Yes — BOJANGLES' makes a financial performance representation in Item 19 of its 2026 FDD, reporting a median unit volume of $2.1M. Read it closely: franchisors choose which units and which metrics to include.

Is BOJANGLES' a good franchise to buy? Health score, exit rate & costs (2026) · Franchise Watch Desk