Bojangles' is dropping its apostrophe, will become Bojangles
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Investigation confirms something’s missing from Bojangles’
Big news out of Bojangles’: The Charlotte-based chicken chain has quietly dropped the apostrophe after its name. The company will now be known simply as Bojangles.
The apostrophe after the “S” always seemed like a mystery, just hanging out after the name like an unnecessary appendage — unlike Wendy’s and McDonald’s, whose possessives always seemed neater and more straightforward.
As recently as Feb. 6, the company’s Twitter account was proclaiming: “It’s spelled with an apostrophe on the end.”
An astute Ledger reader pointed out the apparent difference a couple weeks ago, and we’ve been trying to get an answer to this burning question ever since. We finally succeeded on Friday.
A company spokesperson told The Ledger in an email:
Thanks for your keen eye. Yes, you’re right! Bojangles has dropped the apostrophe in our name and updated the logo to reflect a fresh, more modern design. We’re slowly but surely updating packaging and other elements to show off our new look.
According to the company’s website, Bojangles got its name when co-founder Jack Fulk heard the song “Mr. Bojangles” on the radio. Fulk had been trying to think of names for his new restaurant, which opened in 1977 on West Boulevard in Charlotte. The song was originally recorded by Jerry Jeff Walker in 1968.
It’s unclear how the apostrophe came to be added, but many restaurant chains have possessives as names, including competitors Church’s Chicken and Popeye’s.
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