First Bojangles restaurants in Columbus, Canton now open

Bojangles' first location in Columbus is now open, at 831 Hilliard Rome Road on the city's Far West Side.

The arrival of the North Carolina-based fried chicken chain to Columbus has been long-awaited after first being announced in 2021. The chain also opened a location at 4551 Everhard Road NW in Canton earlier this month.

The Columbus restaurant broke ground in January but was originally expected to open in April. The location officially opened on Tuesday.

Longtime Bojangles restaurant franchisee and Columbus native Jeff Rigsby told the Dispatch when the chain's expansion to Ohio was first announced that he expects to open 15 Bojangles over the next several years in the Columbus area, of a total of 45 locations also in Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Rigsby started with the company as an area supervisor in Greenville, South Carolina, and then worked his way up to director of operations for 35 restaurants in the South. He bought his first six Bojangles franchises in 2001.

Bojangles has approximately 800 company-owned and franchised restaurants in over a dozen states.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus' first Bojangles restaurant is now open on Hilliard Rome Road