BY DON NAPIER
Crossville Life Magazine
I have watched pretty closely as the Bojangles building has “gone up.” It opened on Monday, Dec. 16 and I decided to eat a late lunch there that day (along with a few thousand other people). Wow, was it busy! The drive-thru was completely lapping the building, so I went inside. The people in front of me made me think it would be a long wait, but it wasn’t, they worked that crowd through amazingly fast.
A lot of management people were there. They were polling diners on how they liked the chicken and sides and ever giving out samples. I looked at a menu while standing in line for a few minutes and saw that a 2-piece dinner gave you two choices: A breast and wing or a thigh and leg (which cost a bit less). You have the choice of one or two sides.
I liked their unusual sides. I chose cajun pinto beans and dirty rice to go with my breast and wing dinner. The Bojangles tea was free from 2 – 5 p.m. as part of their Grand Opening promotion. When I got back to the office, I realized my pinto beans didn’t make the trip, which was a bit disappointing, but there was a lot of chaos going on there. The rice was absolutely awesome…..a definite do-over.
They really take pride in their biscuits. Their name could nearly be “Bo-Biscuits.” I don’t do biscuits, but I had a taste because it is such a big part of their food. My daughter Laura Li gave them a “thumbs up” for the biscuits. I will take her word for it. The word going around from those who have eaten there is, “are their biscuits as good as Hardee’s? Notice, they are not asking, “are they better?” That would be a hard call. Hardee’s biscuits rank up there with “Mom” and “Apple Pie.”
The chicken was delicious and not too spicy. I personally like hot chicken, like Popeye’s chicken which is a bit spicier. I did not like the batter that much, kind of like “crispy” at KFC, just too much breading.
The real test for any new restaurant is longevity. We could open any kind of restaurant and it would be slammed the first week, but will people come back? That is the true test. Only time will tell.
My review of Bojangles is written from three trips. On my second trip I ordered “roasted chicken bites,” which has become my favorite menu item. Very tasty, with a very good spice rub, they are healthier and unlike anything anywhere else in town. I mixed the Cajun Pintos and Dirty Rice to go with the chicken bites, and had an instant hit.
On my third trip, the cash register clerk suggested a Rice-and-Bean Bowl for $4.99 which had the chicken bites mixed in along with some cheese. A drink is included in the price. This was really delicious and was a large portion. I could not eat it all, taking about a third of it back to the office for an afternoon snack. The Bojangles restaurant has an expanded menu with lots of items, including lots of breakfast items. I have not been there for breakfast, but I would have to give them a very good compliment for my three trips there and there will be a fourth.
