Crews were onsite on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018 taking down the signs from the Bojangles’ building on Cherokee Avenue. The restaurant closed unexpectedly late Valentine’s Day night. / Noah Galilee
CULLMAN – Bojangles' of Cullman locked its doors for the last time Valentine’s evening when, according to former employees, the franchise owner came in at 10 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018 to let those employees on shift know that the store was closed. As of Thursday afternoon, the building's signs have already come down and the location has been removed from the Bojangles' website.
A sign posted to the door Thursday morning read: "This Bojangles' franchise location, formerly owned and operated by JAX's Alabama Bo, LLC has permanently closed. We have enjoyed being a part of this community and sharing the Bojangles' experience with Cullman, AL."
The restaurant, which was located at 1821 Cherokee Ave. SW in Cullman, had been open for approximately eight years.
The Cullman location is not the only Bonjangles' in Alabama to close without warning recently. WSFA reported that four locations in Montgomery and Selma closed in late January.
Founded in 1977 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Bojangles' serves Southern-style fast food, including biscuits and fried chicken.
The chain's hometown newspaper, The Charlotte Observer, sounded the warning bells back on Jan. 12 in an article titled "Bojangles’ is sputtering two-plus years after going public. What’s wrong?"
"I don't know if it was a franchise or a company decision, but it's still disappointing to our community," said Cullman Economic Development Agency (CEDA) Executive Director Dale Greer.
Said CEDA's Susan Eller, "It is always disappointing to hear when a business doesn’t survive. We had heard from employees things were not going very well, so this doesn’t come as a total surprise.
We will be working to help fill this location. Cullman is on the radar for a lot of retailers/restaurants looking for space to locate in Cullman. With the prime location on Cherokee Avenue we hope this building will have a new tenant soon."
The Tribune received the following statement from the store's franchisee late Thursday:
Our family has made the difficult but necessary business decision to discontinue operations at our Cullman, AL franchised Bojangles' restaurant. Approximately 25 full and part time employees will be impacted by the closing, and as a long-time employer in that community, we are committed to meeting all of our responsibilities. Our franchise group has enjoyed sharing the Bojangles' experience with the wonderful people of Cullman."– Ed Manns, JAX'S Alabama Bo, LLC
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