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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-06-27 Euless Articles Bojangles fried chicken will soon make a Texas comeback at this North Texas location BY BRAYDEN GARCIA JUNE 21, 2023 2:14 PM The first Bojangles location to open in Texas in sometime is nearing completion. The newest Bojangles location in Texas will be in Euless at 201 E. Euless Blvd. The restaurant will be located off State Highway 183 TEXpress toll road and Airport Freeway, just minutes from Dallas-Fort Worth Airport. An opening date hasn’t been announced yet, but the restaurant is hosting a media tasting event on Wednesday, meaning that the general public opening isn’t soon off. Bojangles has been around since 1977 and are famous for their Cajun -inspired fried chicken and buttermilk biscuits. The North Carolina-based company was created and named by Jack Fulk after the song, “Mr. Bojangles”. Along with Euless, Bojangles is planning to open several restaurants over North Texas in the coming months and years. Construction is already underway for Frisco stor es at 1631 US Highway 380 and in Lancaster at 790 I-35E. While Bojangles plans its North Texas expansion, it isn’t the first time the fried chicken chain has staked claim here. In 1984, Bojangles operated three stores in Fort Worth and one in Haltom City: ▪ 4355 East Lancaster Ave, Fort Worth — Now an Auto Zone 2621 Hemphill St. ▪ Fort Worth — Now Tacos La Banqueta 7419 Camp Bowie W. Blvd. ▪ Fort Worth — Now Cancun Mexican Restaurant ▪ 5600 East Belknap St., Haltom City — Now a vacant building A coupon for a $9.99 combo that came with a 16-piece fried chicken box and 12 biscuits can be found in the pages of the Star-Telegram’s newspaper from December 27, 1984. At Bojangles today, a 12-piece fried chicken box with six biscuits costs $25.99. By 1985, Bojangles had expanded to include three locations in Dallas and one in Arlington at 818 N. Collins St. But several years later, all of Bojangles Texas stores closed. Its unclear why Bojangles pulled out of Texas, but the restaurant chain will soon be back in full force across the Lone Star State. Bojangles expands to Texas; Euless restaurant opens June 27, 2023 By Sarah Blaskovich Jun 21, 2023 at 4:29PM As fans of Deep South fried chicken chain Bojangles might say, it’s Bo Time in Texas. The first Bojangles in Texas opens June 27, 2023 in Euless, near DFW International Airport. Restaurants in Frisco, Lancaster and Little Elm are expected to open by the end of the year, bringing fried chicken and Bo-Berry Biscuit desserts to the Lone Star State. “Texas is our gateway to the West,” said Mike Caroti, market director for the company and one of several people overseeing Bojangles’ expansion into Texas and other states. The company is so proud of their buttermilk biscuits that the Euless store has a “biscuit theater” — a glassed-in area where customers can watch Bojangles cooks roll the dough and toss it in the oven. This Bojangles has an “expansion market” menu and restaurant design, which is slightly different than the Deep South restaurants, but still familiar. The menu has been modernized, said Marshall Scarborough, vice president of menu and culinary innovation. Whereas North Carolinians might order a Cajun Chicken Filet Biscuit Combo (which is a fried chicken breast on a biscuit), that same sandwich in Texas is plumper, with hand-breaded chicken, and called Bo’s Chicken Biscuit Combo. Another example: Chicken tenders are called Supremes in parts of the Deep South, but at the new North Texas stores, they’re simply Bo’s Chicken Tenders. The chicken still has Cajun seasoning on it, like it always has. But there’s no bone -in chicken on the menu here; Scarborough said the demand isn’t there. North Carolina transplant Ari Sen ate Bojangles’ food in Euless during a media event and said the restaurant brought back memories of being home. “Tarheel Texas transplants will be satisfied,” he said. Sen is a Dallas Morning News investigative reporter, but he moonlighted as a Bojangles expert. Bojangles is his first stop every time he flies home. “This is like the Cajun filet I never knew I needed,” he said about the plumper version of the fast-food combo he used to order at least once a week in high school. All Texas restaurants will have the Bo-Berry Biscuit, the North Carolina restaurant’s most beloved dessert. At the newer restaurants west of the North Carolina headquarters, menus also include a Bo-Berry milkshake, a lavender-colored dessert with a berry essence. Is this new milkshake a Bo-Berry Biscuit replacement on a hot summer day? “Oh no,” Sen said. That’s not a knock on the shake. Nothing can replace Bojangles’ famous blueberry-flavored biscuit with ribbons of icing on top, he said. Texas restaurants also sell peach cobbler. Sen has been waiting months for Bojangles to open. Bojangles is so intertwined with North Carolina culture that basketball fans at UNC chant “we want biscuits” when the team gets close to scoring 100 points. Over the years, Bojangles has sold $1 sausage biscuits after big-scoring games, further incentivizing athletes to play well in a basketball-loving state. Bojangles’ fry seasoning, which is sold in- store for $2.99 per shaker, is another nostalgic moment for Sen. Bojangles serves thick-cut fries tossed in fry seasoning and served with the choice of six sauces: ranch, jalapeño ranch, peach honey pepper, honey mustard, creamy Buffalo and barbecue. The fries were served piping hot. They’re so good that Sen believes if you’ve got a sore throat, a Bojangles combo meal can help. Eat the fries first, he said; it dries you out. Then the biscuit; it coats your th roat. Wash it down with Cheerwine, a cherry-flavored soda from North Carolina. Does it work? Better question: Does it matter? So far, the Texas restaurants will not serve Cheerwine. North Carolinians might miss it, but Scarborough said most Texans may not even know about it. Chef Scarborough was born and raised in Winston-Salem, N.C., and grew up eating Bojangles long before he got a job streamlining the company’s menu in 2020. “It’s kind of surreal,” he said. “I went out and traveled and realized some people have no clue [about Bojangles].” The store in Euless marks the 801st Bojangles restaurant in the company’s nearly 46 years in business. Superfans have been driving by the restaurant for weeks or more, pulling on the door to see if it’s open. It’s almost Bo Time. “That’s why we have to keep the door locked,” said operating partner Shannon Prim. Texas’ first Bojangles is at 201 E. Euless Blvd., Euless. It’s expected to open June 27, 2023. Texas Body Shop Gifts Teen with Repainted Van Published June 21, 2023 The Maaco Euless team in Euless, TX, recently donated a surprise paint job to a local teen battling Friedreich's ataxia, an inherited nerve disorder that has similar effects to ALS or muscular dystrophy, with a repainted Scooby Doo-themed van. Weston Groff, a 17-year-old teen living in the Euless community, has been battling this disease his entire life. One of his biggest wishes in life has been to take a trip to see the Grand Canyon, and what better way than to do so in a Scooby Doo Mystery Machine. “When the opportunity came to us to help make Weston’s trip even more special, we were ecstatic,” said Steven Cidlik, owner of Maaco Euless. “We were honored to work on this project and aid in giving such a deserving child a special memory.” Groff’s family and friends have been raising money to help fund the trip for Groff and his family. Now, the family has a vehicle to comfortably travel the more than 1,000 -mile trek from Euless to the Grand Canyon. “This project was special because it filled my team and I with so much pride,” said Cidlik. “Seeing the way the group jumped right in to tackle this project was incredible. I look forward to continuing our efforts in giving back to our deserving community!” For more information about Maaco, visit Maaco.com. Business And Community Leaders Calling For Improvements To Highway 183 Corridor By Irving Weekly Staff | Published June 23, 2023 An alliance of North Texas business and community leaders is calling for needed capacity improvements to the North Tarrant Express (NTE) Midtown portion of the SH 183 corridor. The segment serves as a primary artery to the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, downtown Fort Worth and cities across the region, making it a vital connector for commuters, commerce and cargo. As an unimproved segment of the NTE, this roadway is considered one of the most congested in the state. With existing traffic and safety concerns, coupled with the newly announced expansion of the DFW Airport, improving the segment is now critical. That’s why the North Texas Commission, along with other business organizations, chambers of commerce, elected officials, community leaders, transportation planners and the DFW Airport are asking for needed capacity improvements to the highway — at no cost to Texas taxpayers. “We know full well the far-reaching benefits of the innovative North Tarrant Express to the region’s economy and drivers alike,” said Chris Wallace, president and CEO of the North Texas Commission. “Just this past week, we witnessed an additional benefit with the opening of NTE’s Segment 3C, which was built with no public funds. That modernized connector between downtown Fort Worth and the Alliance Airport will continue to improve reliable mobility and safety in that key corridor, while also providing more choices in travel. And it opened months ahead of schedule.” “Now it’s time to improve the NTE Midtown portion of the SH 183 corridor to improve regional mobility to the DFW Airport,” Wallace said. The cost to improve this segment of SH 183 would be paid by the North Tarrant Express Mobility Partners (NTEMP) as part of its public-private partnership agreement with the state. NTEMP financed, designed, and built the NTE corridor between I -35W and Euless on behalf of the state and now operates and maintains it. NTE opened to traffic in 2014, and has seen tremendous demand since then, supporting more than half a million trips daily. Importantly, improvement of this SH 183 segment would address dangerous traffic bottlenecks and related unsafe driving conditions that will worsen unless this project moves forward, Wallace said. The roadway was listed among the most congested highways in Texas, according to Texas A&M University’s Transportation Institute. “The North Tarrant Express is a critical roadway for Metroplex drivers and our economy, so much so that the NTE has seen tremendous demand as our region’s population boom continues,” Rick Stopfer, mayor of Irving said. “Unless this segment is improved as part of a broader strategy for the NTE, local drivers in the cities of Hurst, Bedford, Euless and Irving will be burdened with growing congestion, unsafe conditions and delays at a crucial section of this transportation network. The bottleneck that forms on the east end of this project at the 183-and-Belt Line intersection can be alleviated at no construction cost to taxpayers, and mobility to the DFW Airport vastly improved.” With this segment of SH 183 serving the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport’s south entrance, improving the roadway is all the more vital given the major expansion planned for the airport, soon to be the world’s busiest. The Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and the North Tarrant Express go hand-in- hand in moving people and products around the Metroplex and across the state. Improvement of this segment of SH 183 is needed to ensure the efficient movement of travelers and consumer goods in and out of the DFW Airport. This project is vital to alleviate congestion and to position the Metroplex for continued economic growth. Added Wallace: “Let’s continue to leverage the public-private partnership that brought us the NTE by improving this segment of SH 183 at no construction cost to Texas taxpayers, and faster than is possible with traditional funding. Thanks to this public- private partnership, none of the NTE enhancements will cost local or state taxpayers any funds.” What’s more, the NTE and the Greater DFW managed lane network have delivered billions of dollars in economic impact to the region, while providing thousands of regional contractor and vendor firms with work. Improvement of this segment of SH 183 would create hundreds of new local jobs and bring additional investments to the region. Businesses and communities across North Texas depend on the NTE, just as they also depend on other managed lane systems that helped land five Metroplex cities in the Top 50 best cities to drive in, according to a study by WalletHub. Improving this SH 183 segment enjoys strong, broad -based support, including from: Supporting Mayors: • Mayor Michael Boyter, City of Bedford • Mayor Bob Dubey, City of Richardson • Mayor Clyde C. Hairston, City of Lancaster • Mayor Jim Jarratt, City of Granbury • Mayor Linda Martin, City of Euless • Mayor Wes Mays, City of Coppell • Mayor Jim Ross, City of Arlington • Mayor Rick Stopfer, City of Irving • Mayor Jeannette Tiffany, Town of Trophy Club • Mayor Oscar Trevino, City of North Richland Hills • Mayor Henry Wilson, City of Hurst Supporting Organizations: • Allen Fairview Chamber of Commerce • Dallas Fort Worth International Airport • Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce • Frisco Chamber of Commerce • Garland Chamber of Commerce • Grapevine Chamber of Commerce • Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce • Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce • Hurst-Euless-Bedford Chamber of Commerce • Invest Texas Council • Irving Hispanic Chamber of Commerce • North Dallas Chamber of Commerce • North Texas Commission • Richardson Chamber of Commerce • Rowlett Chamber of Commerce • Texas Association of Businesses