Bojangles — Restaurant in Prairie Township

Really, really saddened by this place today. Had the chance to try Bojangles while on vacation in the Carolinas a number of years ago. Food was pretty good. Fried chicken, tenders, great side options, Bo Berry biscuits. Was always looking forward to when they would make the move to central Ohio. Nearest location before this 1 is Dayton.

Wife suggested to try it as they had been open for a bit of time and we were in the area.

We decided to eat inside. Walk inside to find that the eating area is small, maybe 12 tables tops. Hop in line and look @ their menu and notice something is off. While waiting for customers before us, I decide to check their website for food options. Looking through their website, I notice they have bone in friend chicken. It's been nearly 7 years since I was last @ a Bojangles. Finally our chance to order comes and I ask if they only have tenders. Person taking the order says yes, so I have to change my order right then. I order the 4 piece with dirty rice as does my wife and the kids each a kids meal. I also order a mac and cheese and fries as well. Daughter went after mac and cheese.

We get our food, and I notice that we only had 3 bowls instead of 4, so I go up and wait for someone to come around the wall. Takes a minute or 2, and finally a person comes with daughter's milkshake, and she then grabs the mac and cheese.

The food is decent @ best; as nothing wows except the mac and cheese to my daughter.

The chicken was rather bland tasting and it was easy to tell it was previously frozen. Their tenders stand no chance against Raising Cane's, of which there are 2 within 10 minutes in 2 different directions. Even Culver's has better chicken.

The biscuits were also very dry with almost no flavor of butter. Fries were over seasoned. Mac and cheese was better than KFC, but still not enough flavor. Dirty rice was a plus as Popeyes doesn't even have it anymore(best thing on their menu), but still lacked flavor.

Not a good start for a company trying to come into an already busy metro and not bring their original menu item.

I asked while ordering when they would have their bone-in chicken and they said not for...

Several years back, I had Bojangles in Tennessee, and even now, it was some of the best chicken and biscuits that I’ve ever had.

After that, for years, I had been hoping that a Bojangles would be opening near my area, and when the news reported that there were two in Columbus, I had to see it for myself. However, while there are very familiar elements to this Bojangles, with most of the menu there, I was personally outraged that they only offered chicken fingers, and not regular chicken pieces. Even though I did order some things, since the staff were very nice, with all of that time waiting for a nearby option, and I felt cheated. I also read that it’s local counterpart location also offered only fingers.

I know it seems highly unlikely that someone in Bojangles social media team, customer service, local owners, management, or even corporate will read this review, but in the event that someone does, I’d like to add a complaint: Your brand is one of the most prominent when it comes to making very good fried chicken as in regular pieces. And yet, your locations in Columbus and presumably above the Mason-Dixon Line offer only chicken fingers. I do understand the mentality - trying to compete with Raising Canes and wing places - but with these locations, it seems that straying away from offering regular chicken is a potentially losing battle. According to some of the reviews, some are disappointed, and rightfully so. It’s as if the local owner (and someone higher up supporting them) made the choice to hold back from offering actual chicken pieces so that locations under the MD Line would still be the ultimate draw. A shame since your brand had the chance to show others what you’re really about. But ufortunately, with this conscious choice, it seems like eventually, you will not have one or two drumsticks to stand on.

So if you are reading, please consider expanding your menu to offer the regular chicken pieces that your original counterparts down south already offer. Things are nice, but your brand really does Need to offer for others to find out without having to travel cross...

My husband and I were very excited with the idea of a new chicken place, something that would be different than Raising Canes, with its limited menu, or Chick fil A with its bland and basic food. We were wanting something with some flavor, and we sure got it! The chicken is far superior in flavor and breading texture to either place listed above. The options and flavor of the sides are even far better. We actually decided to have breakfast and dinner and we were not disappointed. Lines were very long which was to be expected, since it was the first day, and they even ran out of beans, but, that was to be expected as well, just like the delays on opening. Yes it was disappointing to have to wait, but I understand the amount of time creating something new takes, with construction, and permits and all the red tape, including inspections. I am not going to penalize a business due to something out of their control. As for the menu options, most businesses do have to take demographics into consideration when choosing a menu, and most corporations have specific sets of options franchisees can choose from, while corporate owned stores menus can differ. Plus, stores in NC have been established a much longer period of time and this is completely new to the Ohio region, and overwhelming a demographic with too many options can sometimes be a killer. So many new restaurants will start with a smaller menu of options and grow from there, grow from customer feedback. I would think the owner who has worked for Bojangles for over 20 yrs has taken all of this into consideration, and I for one am looking forward to this franchise growing in the Ohio region. I get tired of the same old places like Wendys, and McDonalds, they are on every corner., and Bojangles definitely brings something more in the world of Chicken. So Thank you for bringing...