Bojangles (Wyoming)
1730 28th Street SWTuesday was not a fun day at work.
I started the day in Kalamazoo. I did a project with my colleague in that office then I had to go to Grand Rapids and work on a much larger project with a team up there.
The Kalamazoo project took much longer than I was expecting so I ended up rushing to Grand Rapids to meet up with the other team. I didn’t have time to stop for lunch or even time to stop and grab a Pepsi somewhere.
The day also ended up being really long. I wrapped up in Grand Rapids at about 8:00 PM. My normal out time is 6:30 PM and I still had to drive back to Kalamazoo.
I needed to stop and get something to eat. I hadn’t eaten all day.
I had a plan. There’s a chicken place in Wyoming that opened a few months ago that I knew would still be open.
Bojangles isn’t a place usually see this far north. The North Carolina based fast food chicken joint has the majority of it’s locations in the south but they’ve been creeping farther north lately. The Grand Rapids metro location opened in January on 28th Street SW in Wyoming near Burlingame Avenue. This spot was a Main Street Pub for many years but that building was tore down in 2022 and a Taco John’s was erected in it’s place. The big expansion of Taco John’s into Michigan never took off and the location was eventually closed. Now, it’s a Bojangles.
I’ve had limited experience with this chain in the past because it’s not something that’s been around this area. My first stop at a Bojangles was in Princeton, WV a couple of years ago when a co-worker and I took a trip to North Carolina for an assignment. The only other time I’ve eaten at one was last year when a co-worker and I were coming home from St. Louis. I noticed a sign for a Bojangles in Normal, IL. I was surprised at that time that there was one so far north.
The layout of the building is pretty much the same as the Taco John’s. It’s a pretty small space compared to the fast food restaurants of yore. There is an order counter right inside the door but it looks a little different than it did during it’s Taco John’s days.
There’s no one actually working the cash registers which is becoming more and more common. There are two ordering kiosks facing the doors so when you walk in, you step right up to the kiosks. At the time, I didn’t even see the cash register as it was hidden behind the kiosks. I know some people hate these things becaue they still have the superiority complex of having to be waited on by a minimum wage worker but I love it when I see these in a fast food setting. It gives me time to think about what I want and I’m able to actually look at customization options.
The other two times I’ve eaten at Bojangles, I ordered a 2pc chicken meal and chicken tenders. I decided this time to try Bo’s Chicken Sandwich. I ordered it as a large combo with a Pepsi and an order of fries. I also added on two biscuits. The cost was right around $18.
The color scheme of the dining room has changed but the layout hasn’t. They’re using the same tables and chairs that Taco John’s used. I decided to just eat in the store because I was exhausted and didn’t want to drive while eating. It took just about five minutes for my name to be called. I grabbed the tray then sat down at one of the pub style tables to eat.
Bo’s Chicken Sandwich is a pretty typical fast food chicken sandwich. The fried chicken breast comes topped with pickles and mayo. I meant to take off the mayo and leave the pickles but I did the opposite. I was pretty annoyed with myself when I got the sandwich but it w as my mistake. I also added cheese and I probably should have added bacon but I didn’t. The sandwich is really crispy on the outside and really juicy and tender in the middle. The marinade has a little bit of spiciness to it but not a lot. Fortunately, they didn’t put very much mayo on the sandwich so it wasn’t much of a distraction. There are a lot of fast food chicken sandwiches now and they all kind of blend together. This is a solid sandwich but it’s not something that really stands out.
I picked Bo Fries as my side. These are frozen skin on fries with a very heavy dusting of Bo Seasoning which is mixture of salt, paprika, celery seed, garlic powder and onion powder. It makes the fries pretty salty but also adds a good flavor to where you don’t need to dip them in ketchup.
I ordered two biscuits because biscuits are kind of a thing at Bojangles. They’re made from scratch in house. There’s a little window that looks in to the kitchen where you can watch the biscuits being made. An employee was just starting a fresh batch and I was sitting down to eat.
The biscuits are huge, fluffy, southern buttermilk biscuits. They have a number of biscuit sandwich options that are mostly breakfast type sandwiches but you can get them all day. I was super tempted but I opted just to order two biscuits and eat them plain. They didn’t need honey or butter. These biscuits were good just the way they were. It was a lot of bread to eat so late at night but it was totally worth it.
Bojangles is still one of those fast food places that is kind of a rare find north of the Mason-Dixon line. I know people from the Carolinas swear this is the best chicken place in the country and while I’ve enjoyed my meals all three times I’ve eaten there, in the end, it’s still fast food chicken. It’s way better than some of their competitors though and I’d welcome more of these in the area.
SW Michigan Dining 