How Much Does a Bojangles' Franchise Cost?

The April 20, 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document from Bojangles Opco, LLC discloses two separate U.S. investment ranges: $2,851,880 to $3,951,200 for a traditional, free-standing Bojangles Restaurant and $780,780 to $1,858,700 for a Bojangles Express Restaurant developed inside or alongside another retail operation. Neither total includes acquiring or leasing real estate.

Capital snapshot

These figures separate the opening fee and included working capital from continuing percentage charges and current financial qualification thresholds.

The format determines the real estate work and major equipment package. A traditional Bojangles Restaurant uses a free-standing building plan and carries separate Building, Site Work and Soft Costs categories. A Bojangles Express Restaurant is placed in or attached to another structure and replaces those categories with Upfitting Costs, while its equipment package varies with the existing food-service infrastructure, square footage, menu format and drive-thru configuration.

The 2026 traditional range is dominated by Building, Site Work, and Equipment, Furniture, Signage and Fixtures. Those three categories alone account for most of the upper-end dollar amount, but the official total also includes training-related payroll and travel, insurance, opening inventory, deposits, licenses and Additional Funds.

Premises and major systems

The largest traditional outlays are paid to contractors, suppliers and service providers as construction and installation work is performed.

Source: 2026 FDD Item 7, Table No. 1 and notes, pp. 20–23.

Fees, pre-opening costs and launch capital

The rest of the traditional table combines the fixed opening charge with variable insurance, training, inventory, deposit and three-month operating estimates.

Source: 2026 FDD Item 7, Table No. 1 and notes, pp. 20–23. The displayed total reconciles exactly to all Item 7 line items.

The Bojangles Express total substitutes Upfitting Costs for the traditional Building, Site Work and Soft Costs categories. The 2026 FDD describes Express spaces ranging from approximately 800 to 3,800 square feet; the amount depends on the existing facility, hood and HVAC systems, seating, menu format and whether a drive-thru is added.

Source: 2026 FDD Item 7, Table No. 2 and notes, pp. 23–25. The displayed total reconciles exactly to all Express Item 7 line items.

The 2026 FDD includes $32,000 to $60,000 of Additional Funds in both format totals for the first three months of operation. This is not an extra amount to add on top of Item 7.

• Included usesRestaurant-level payroll, taxes, insurance, food, paper, supplies, utilities, POS System maintenance and support fees, licenses and permits, bank charges, repairs and maintenance.
• Excluded usesRoyalty Fee payments, advertising obligations, real estate and leasehold costs are not included in the Additional Funds estimate.
• Owner compensationThe training-cost estimate excludes salaries for the Managing Owner and Designated Operator; the FDD does not state that owner compensation is included in Additional Funds.
• Period coveredOnly the initial three months. The franchisor does not guarantee that the amount will cover every startup expense or cash-flow shortfall.

Source: 2026 FDD Item 7 notes, pp. 22 and 25.

Payment timing depends on whether the buyer signs a Development Agreement, an Individual Franchise Agreement or a Bojangles Express Franchise Agreement. Most third-party construction and operating costs are paid as arranged or as incurred, while the amounts paid to Bojangles have specific contract milestones.

1. Development Agreement signingPay a Development Fee of $10,000 for each Restaurant authorized under the agreement. A Development Agreement requires at least three Restaurants. The fee is fully earned and non-refundable.
2. Franchise Agreement milestoneFor a traditional Restaurant under a Development Agreement, the $35,000 Initial Franchise Fee is due by the construction commencement deadline, with the applicable $10,000 Development Fee credited if the agreement and payment deadlines are met. An Individual Franchise Agreement requires $35,000 at execution. A Bojangles Express Franchise Agreement requires $20,000 at execution.
3. Site, design, construction and equipmentInsurance, site work, professional fees, upfitting, equipment, signage, licenses, utility deposits and inventory are generally paid to third parties as arranged or as incurred before opening.
4. Training periodPay trainee wages, travel, lodging, meals and related costs while the Managing Owner, Designated Operator and designated managers complete required training. The official Bojangles training page describes a 13-week program, while the FDD permits 13 to 26 weeks for the Managing Owner and Designated Operator depending on experience and approval.
5. Opening and first three monthsUse the included $32,000 to $60,000 Additional Funds for specified initial operating expenses. Monthly Royalty Fee and Marketing Development Fund payments begin after opening.

The FDD estimates approximately 15 months from an acceptable site and executed Franchise Agreement to opening. It also establishes site-approval, construction and opening deadlines. The official franchise process page places financial qualification before execution of the Development Agreement. Source: 2026 FDD Items 5 and 11, pp. 11–12 and 35–38.

The principal continuing charges are a 4% Royalty Fee, a 1% Marketing Development Fund contribution and a 3% Local Marketing Expenditure, all based on total monthly Gross Sales as defined in Item 6. Cooperative Advertising and the $153 monthly advertising-technology charge are credited within the 3% Local Marketing requirement rather than added on top of it.

Source: 2026 FDD Item 6, pp. 16–19. Gross Sales excludes sales taxes and similar taxes collected for remittance to taxing authorities.

Buyer verification. Do not add the typical 2% Cooperative Advertising amount to the full 3% Local Marketing Expenditure. Item 6 says cooperative contributions are credited against the local requirement, and the $153 monthly technology-vendor amount also qualifies toward that requirement.

Event-triggered and conditional charges

These are not routine monthly charges; they arise when a deadline, transfer, renewal, special request, underpayment or reimbursement event occurs.

• Extension Fee — $2,500Paid with a written request for up to a six-month extension of a site-approval, construction or opening deadline; the request must generally arrive at least 14 days before the deadline.
• Transfer Fee — $5,000 per RestaurantDue before a transfer that changes a controlling interest, subject to Bojangles' approval and other transfer conditions.
• Renewal Fee — 50% of the then-current Initial Franchise FeeDue when signing the Renewal Franchise Agreement. Traditional agreements may permit two additional 10-year terms if conditions are met; the Bojangles Express Franchise Agreement provides no renewal rights.
• New Product and Supplier Testing — estimated $4,800 to $12,900Reasonable evaluation and testing expenses when a franchisee requests approval of a new product or alternate supplier.
• Additional On-Site Support — $2,500 per person per weekCharged when the franchisee requests extra personnel support for an opening or later operations.
• Interest and audit costsOverdue amounts accrue 1.5% per month compounded monthly or the maximum lawful rate, whichever is less. An audit that finds an understatement of 5% or more can also shift audit costs and expenses to the franchisee.
• Other reimbursement obligationsOptional training uses the then-current fee; insurance procurement, taxes imposed on payments, enforcement costs, attorneys' fees and indemnification are payable when the specified event occurs.

Source: 2026 FDD Item 6, pp. 17–19, and Item 17, pp. 50–53.

The official franchise cost page, checked July 14, 2026, states minimum financial criteria of $1,000,000 in liquid capital and $2,500,000 in net worth per franchised location. These thresholds are not the same as Item 7's Estimated Initial Investment: liquid capital is available funding, while net worth includes assets net of liabilities and is not necessarily cash.

• Liquid Capital$1,000,000 minimum per franchised location on the official financial qualification page.
• Net Worth$2,500,000 minimum per franchised location on the official website. Net worth is not a promise that the buyer can fund construction or opening costs.
• Operator profileBojangles states that it targets experienced restaurant operators with capacity to pursue multi-unit development; the official candidate page describes restaurant-development and multi-unit infrastructure expectations.
• Franchisor financingThe 2026 FDD states that Bojangles offers no direct or indirect financing and does not guarantee a note, lease or obligation. See Item 10, p. 32.
• First equipment packageThe first Restaurant equipment package must be paid in full without equipment financing; Bojangles may extend that requirement to additional units. See 2026 FDD Item 7 notes, pp. 22 and 25.

Financing limit. A lender's approval would be separate from Bojangles' financial qualification. The FDD discloses no franchisor financing relationship, and a financing plan cannot assume equipment debt for the first Restaurant package where the FDD requires payment in full.

Potentially, but the 2026 programs are conditional reimbursements or fee reductions—not reductions to every Item 7 category. Eligibility depends on the executed program addendum, multi-unit commitments, ownership criteria, opening deadlines, approved sites and continuing compliance.

Source: 2026 FDD Item 5, pp. 12–16. The Royalty Fee reductions are stated as reductions from the standard rate, not as separate fees.

The most important unresolved amount is real estate. Both Item 7 totals exclude acquisition and leasehold costs, and several other obligations vary with the site, vendor network, local market or future system standards.

• Land, lease and pre-opening occupancy. The traditional notes cite unimproved-property rent of approximately $10,800 to $16,500 or more per month as an example; Express notes cite three months of pre-opening rent at approximately $15,000 to $37,000 or more. Neither example is included in the total.
• Conversion and prototype work. The standard traditional range excludes conversion properties and a smaller test building from several major categories.
• Managing Owner and Designated Operator compensation. Their salaries are excluded from the training-cost estimate, and Item 7 does not provide a separate owner-pay allowance.
• Supplier and distribution variation. Item 8 says 100% of establishment and operating purchases and leases are subject to Bojangles standards and specifications. Freight, delivery frequency and distance from distribution centers can change costs.
• Technology maintenance and replacement. The Item 11 POS System, digital menu board and network-package amounts are included in equipment estimates, but future hardware, software and support charges can change without a contractual frequency or cost limit on upgrades.
• Renewal modernization and transfer upgrades. Renewal requires renovation and modernization to then-current standards; a transferee may also be required to upgrade the Restaurant in addition to paying the $5,000 Transfer Fee.
• Local permits, impact fees, insurance and utilities. Item 7 supplies ranges, but local authorities, carriers and utility companies determine the actual amounts.

Item 11 quotes $44,000 plus taxes and shipping for a four-terminal traditional POS System, $70,000 for a dual-lane interior and exterior digital menu-board system, and $17,000 for the network package; these amounts are already included in the Equipment category. The listed annual POS support services total $5,033 by arithmetic from the four quoted charges, but that derived sum may change with vendor pricing and optional services. Source: 2026 FDD Item 11, pp. 36–37.

The central capital decision is format-specific: a traditional, free-standing Restaurant carries a $2,851,880 to $3,951,200 Item 7 range, while Bojangles Express carries a $780,780 to $1,858,700 range. The largest unresolved variable is occupancy, because both totals exclude real estate acquisition and leasehold costs. Liquidity, net worth and continuing fees must be evaluated separately from the Estimated Initial Investment.

• Confirm the exact unit format, menu configuration, square footage, drive-thru plan and whether the site is a new build, Express upfit or conversion.
• Obtain the current Item 7 table and all amendments, then reconcile the construction, equipment and opening budget to the same format and FDD year.
• Add the negotiated land, lease, deposits, percentage rent, common-area charges and pre-opening occupancy costs outside Item 7.
• Confirm how Cooperative Advertising, the $153 technology-vendor charge and other approved Local Marketing spending will be credited against the 3% requirement.
• Document whether any incentive addendum applies, which Restaurants qualify, when reimbursement is paid and what event could cause repayment or termination.
• Review the FDD and agreements for at least the required federal disclosure period. The FTC Franchise Rule in 16 CFR Part 436 requires the current disclosure document at least 14 calendar days before a binding agreement or payment, and the FTC Franchise Rule Compliance Guide explains the disclosure framework.