Southern restaurant chain Bojangles opens new NYC location in Brooklyn
EAST FLATBUSH, Brooklyn (WABC) -- This week's Neighborhood Eats takes you to a southern restaurant chain that just opened a new location in New York City.
Bojangles recently opened at the corner of Ralph Avenue and Church Avenue in the heart of East Flatbush, Brooklyn.
It's the first modern New York City location in East Flatbush, Brooklyn following a previous short-lived presence in the 1980s, making this a significant return for the southern fast-food chain.
Marshall Scarborough is the vice president of menu and culinary innovation at Bojangles. He says his love for the brand started very early.
"My love affair with Bojangles began at a very young age. I was a youngster, I got to grow up with Bojangles," Scarborough said.
Habib Hashimi says his family working in the restaurant industry inspired him to become a franchise owner of Bojangles.
"My family has been in the restaurant business for decades," Hashimi.
"I wanted to find a brand that was exciting and had amazing food, and I saw this crazy following behind it. And I looked on social media, I looked on TikTok, I looked on Instagram, and people were so excited about the brand, it was part of their daily lives, and when I tried the food, I understood why that was."
According to Scarborough, Bojangles is known as the Carolina legend.
"I like to describe it like, we are cooking like grandmas, but we also appeal to her grandson. Our culinary north star is being authentically southern with a modern twist," Scarborough said.
Bojangles is not your typical fast-food restaurant. The chain cooks on stove tops, and all the chicken is hand-breaded.
The biscuits are also hand-made and scratch-made, taking a total of 49 steps to make them.
"They're soft, they're buttery and delicious," Hashimi said.
At Bojangles, one of their signature menu items is the Bo's chicken biscuit. It's tender, juicy, crispy chicken between a soft, fluffy buttermilk biscuit.
"We're using marinated chicken and hand-breading it to order," Scarborough said.
You can also order just chicken tenders, which is the flagship product on Bojangles' menu for lunch and dinner. They're made from thick pieces of tenderloin marinated with Bojangles seasoning and batter-breaded in a buttermilk coating system.
Scarborough believes Bojangles is different from other fast-food chains.
"I can't speak to a whole lot of fast-food restaurants where they're taking the time and energy it takes to produce such high-quality food," Scarborough said. "I think it's cool that we're bringing the Southern culture, the Southern traditions of food to you guys to share what we've been keeping our secret this whole time,"
Scarborough adds that you know it's "Bo time" when you're having good food and a good time with people you love.
In the end, Hashimi hopes that New Yorkers from all across the city come and try Bojangles.
"We're coming to New York. We're coming to East Flatbush. We have a fantastic product, it's delicious, and I cannot wait for everyone to try it," Hashimi said.
You can learn more about the restaurant on the Bojangles website.
ALSO READ: Woodstock bakers stuff bagels with comfort food at Moonrise Bagels
----------
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
