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As the local chicken-and-biscuits chain turns the page on its next chapter, the question remains: How can Bojangles’ be fixed?
Randy Kibler, Bojangles’ former CEO, stepped back into the role in an interim basis after Clifton Rutledge resigned in March. Kibler outlined a few ways the company has been working to improve itself, including through employee training, speeding up service at the drive-thru and promoting signature menu items.
“We believe our back-to-basics strategy of operating ‘well-run restaurants’ is elevating customer perceptions of Bojangles’,” Kibler said in the earnings report.
Bojangles’ becomes the latest Charlotte retailer to change hands in recent years.
After it went public in 2015, Bojangles’ was eager to satisfy Wall Street’s appetite for growth, so it laid out an expansion plan that included growing in areas where it’s already well-known, then gradually moving into neighboring markets. In the summer of 2015, for instance, Bojangles’ opened its first West Virginia l...
“Being a public company does create pressures. I don’t really know the new owners, but I think it’s a good thing if they’re taking it private again,” he said.
McRae, who bought his first Bojangles’ location from founders Jack Fulk and Richard Thomas in 1980, has seen the chain through six ownership changes.
“This isn’t our first rodeo,” said McRae, a Kinston resident who owns 66 Bojangles’ locations in North Carolina and Virginia.
Experts have pointed to Bojangles’ expansion outside its “core markets” as a reason for sluggish sales at some of those new restaurant locations, where the brand is not as well known.
When it went public, Bojangles’ had 622 restaurants in 10 states and the District of Columbia. Roughly 66 percent of its restaurants at the time were in the Carolinas. Bojangles’ said Thursday it has 759 locations in 11 states and D.C, with about 58 percent in the Carolinas.
What the new owners have to do is simple: Grow revenue, said Marc Oken, a founding partner of Falfurrias Capital Partners, the private equity firm co-founded by former Bank of America CEO Hugh McColl. Falfurrias owned Bojangles’ from 2007-2011, when it sold a majority stake in the company to Boston private equity firm ...
Under Falfurrias, Bojangles’ shrank its menu to only include its most popular items, such as Cajun-fried chicken and dirty rice.
“The fewer items you have, the more time employees have to focus on those items. That’s the general theory,” Oken said.
Also under Falfurrias’s ownership, Bojangles’ expanded to 503 stores from 377 four years prior. During that period, revenue rose 40 percent, according to a September 2007 Observer story.
“Growth in revenue comes from having quality food, good service, good management and good locations,” Oken said. Also, “be thoughtful about expansion,” he added.
The 1980s were a particularly tumultuous time for Bojangles’ that illustrates the consequences of trying to grow a regional brand. Experts say Bojangles’ new owners should avoid the mistakes of the past.
The first time Bojangles’ was sold, it was by its original owners in 1982 to Horn & Hardart, a now-defunct food services company based in New York. When it was sold, Bojangles’ had 34 restaurants.
Horn & Hardart grew the chain to 328 stores at its peak, with stores all over the U.S., from Texas to Florida to New Jersey. But under Horn & Hardart, Bojangles’ lost millions of dollars, mostly because of the new management’s efforts to expand a regional company nationally.
In 1988, Bojangles’ posted a profit for the first time in two years. But it came with a cost: The company trimmed corporate staff by one-third, to 82 employees. Carlos Garcia, president at the time, closed or refranchised 100 restaurants, and pulled out of unprofitable markets in Florida, Alabama, Texas, Mississippi an...
“During those years, there wasn’t a lot of support (for franchisees) because (Bojangles’ owners) were cutting costs from the parent company,” McRae said.
It’s not clear what Bojangles’ new owners, Durational Capital Management LP and The Jordan Company L.P., have in store for the chain or the hundreds of its corporate employees at company headquarters off Interstate 77 in southwest Charlotte. Representatives from the firms could not be reached for comment this week.
In the short term, expect the new owners to close more under-performing stores, and invest in tech, such as mobile ordering and delivery, areas that Bojangles’ has “been behind in for a long time,” C.L. King analyst Michael Gallo said this week.
Once the deal closes, all the steps Bojangles’ new owners take over the next several months to overhaul the beloved brand will determine the company’s fate in Charlotte and beyond.
NBN users are switching to faster internet plans with 70 per cent of new orders on the national broadband network now based on wholesale speed tiers of 50Mbps download or higher.
Network congestion has compelled organizations to deploy traffic shaping and Quality of Service (QoS) appliances just before the WAN router to control outbound traffic. But in today's complex environments, organizations are rethinking how to manage the onslaught of data flowing across the network, and the focus of cong...
B.B. KING: The house that B.B. built hosts the blues legend himself Monday at 8 p.m., B.B. King Blues Club, 243 W. 42nd St.; (212) 997-4144.
BATTLES: Hard-playing indie band rocks out Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Webster Hall, 125 E. 11th St.; (212) 388-0300.
BUFFALO TOM: Supporting “Three Easy Piece,” the band’s first recording in nearly a decade, the Boston rockers play tomorrow night at 8 at Brooklyn’s Southpaw, 125 Fifth Ave.; (718) 230-0236.
CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH: The alt-pop Internet success story plays Tuesday at 8 p.m. at Bowery Ballroom, 6 Delancey St.; (212) 533-2111.
VAN HALEN: The legendary ’70s-’80s rockers now save their infamous histrionics for the stage, Tuesday at 8 p.m. at Madison Square Garden; (212) 465-6741, ticketmaster.com. Tickets: $49.50-$149.50.
Wealthy Montreal baker Moreno Gallo fled Canada’s ongoing Mafia wars, only to be slain by a gunman dressed in black in front of a crowd of witnesses at an Acapulco pizzeria.
Gallo, 68, was apparently a victim of what Daniel Renaud of La Presse newspaper calls “the slow but inevitable vengeance” of Montreal’s Sicilian Mafia when he was gunned down Sunday night.
The gunman reportedly walked up and pumped several 9-mm shots at close range into his head.
At the time of his death, Gallo was considered disloyal to Mafia boss Vito Rizzuto, who returned to Canada in October 2012 after serving five-and-a-half years in a Colorado prison for his role in three gangland slayings in Brooklyn in 1981.
Gallo was slain three years to the day after Rizzuto’s father, Nicolo Rizzuto Sr., was shot dead by a sniper in the kitchen of his mansion, in front of his wife and daughter.
Salvatore Calautti of the GTA, a suspect in the murder of Rizzuto Sr., was killed outside a Vaughan banquet hall in July. His murder remains unsolved, but sources say he bragged about killing the Rizzuto patriarch.
This isn’t the first time the Canadian Mafia war has apparently spilled over to another country.
In April, former Mississauga resident Juan Ramon Fernandez, who was known in the GTA as Johnny Bravo, and his close friend Fernando Pimentel were murdered in Sicily.
Like Gallo, they had both been considered close to Rizzuto at one point but had fallen out of favour.
La Presse noted that Gallo had been thought of as an arbitrator of sorts for a consortium of Mob bosses who tried to replace Vito Rizzuto.
By the time Gallo left Canada almost two years ago, it was an open secret that his life was in danger.
At the time of his departure, some members of the underworld were calling him “Turkey,” a sign of obvious disrespect.
He settled in Acapulco, where a friend ran a hotel.
According to reports, Gallo was present last spring at a meeting of leaders of the Montreal Mafia clans in the Dominican Republic, led by Vito Rizzuto.
He was convicted of second-degree murder in 1974 for the slaying of a drug dealer.
Gallo told the parole board that the murder four decades ago was a public service of sorts.
Snow fell in parts of Scotland on Saturday morning, as most of the UK felt much colder temperatures.
Snow was seen in higher parts of the country on what one meteorologist called “some of the coldest October days in a decade”.
John West at the Met Office told the Press Association flurries could continue throughout the weekend.
He said: “With the temperatures that we are seeing - struggling to reach double figures across the country - these are some of the coldest October days in a decade, much colder than average.
Mr West explained that in the north-east of England it is “mostly sleety wet snow” pictures coming in from “people out there driving this morning” but it continues to be “quite showery”.
The forecaster added: “It is going to be cold over the next couple of days, but will start to peter out tomorrow.
“We will have some high pressure building in giving us a more settled picture, but we may continue to see some snow showers today and tomorrow.
'Speak for Yourself' host Jason Whitlock on the controversy over Nike's Colin Kaepernick ad.
Nike on Tuesday recovered the stock losses it experienced immediately after announcing its decision to feature polarizing NFL free agent Colin Kaepernick in a major marketing campaign.
The apparel giant’s shares rose about half a percentage point to close at $82.63. Nike’s stock had closed at $82.20 the day before it revealed Kaepernick’s role in a campaign to commemorate the 30th anniversary of its iconic “Just Do It” slogan.
Nike shares briefly fell below $80 last week as the advertising campaign drew a mixed reaction on social media. Kaepernick was the first NFL player to kneel during the national anthem to protest police brutality and social injustice, kicking off a wave of player demonstrations that roiled the league and infuriated Pres...
Trump ripped Nike for the decision on Twitter earlier this month, writing that the company was “getting absolutely killed with anger and boycotts.” However, a report by Edison Trends noted that Nike’s online sales rose 31 percent in the two days after the announcement, which took place on Labor Day, up from 17 percent ...
Nike aired its first commercial starring Kaepernick during various sporting events last week, including the first game of the 2018 NFL season. Nike is the NFL’s official uniform supplier.
Kaepernick hasn’t appeared in an NFL game since the 2016 season. He is currently suing the league for collusion, arguing that NFL teams are conspiring to keep him off the field.
Zimbabwe (MNN) — Zimbabwe’s presidential elections last week resulted in a flare of violence, but it was quickly doused in a tenuous calm. However, there may be more conflict brewing below the surface.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa was declared the winner of last week’s elections by a slim margin. Nelson Chamisa‚ opposition leader of the MDC Alliance, claims the election results were rigged and accuses the government of lashing out against MDC supporters.
On Tuesday, the European Union and the United States condemned Zimbabwe soldier’s post-vote crackdown on protesters. Now, Chamisa may be preparing to take his rigged election allegations to court. But with the presidents of South Africa, Burundi, Tanzania, and Kenya endorsing Mnangagwa’s win, Chamisa’s accusations are ...
Meanwhile, how Mnangagwa carries out his role as president will significantly impact Zimbabwe’s future. Mnangagwa is the only other leader Zimbabwe has seen apart from Robert Mugabe, who ruled the nation since its independence in 1980 and mired the country in corrupt policies.
With this new leader in place, there may be hope for a new era.
Maphosah shares, “I think on paper, [Mnangagwa] has made quite a lot of changes for the old regime and many people welcomed the changes that [are] meant to create an environment where business can begin to thrive again. So I think people are now waiting [to see] how is he going to follow through with all the things he ...
So far, Maphosah says he hasn’t seen the election have a major effect on the Church, besides believers feeling encouraged or disappointed with the outcome of their preferred candidate.
ZimZam Global’s ministry focus in Zimbabwe is not on political reformation, but spiritual transformation. ZimZam Global is part of the Alliance for the Unreached and as such, they are passionate about mobilizing Christians to reach unreached people with the Gospel.
Please pray with our Christian brothers and sisters in Zimbabwe today. Ask God to bless the nation and allow for truth and justice to prevail. Pray for authentic peace as Zimbabwe transitions leadership.
Click here to learn more about ZimZam Global’s ministry!
Pray for believers in Zimbabwe to deepen their faith in Christ.
Ask God to provide conversational opportunities for our Zimbabwe Christian brothers and sisters to share the Gospel.
Pray for peace, justice, and truth in the nation.
The Fujifilm X-T10 looks like an old school film camera, but it's all digital inside.
The $800 Fujifilm X-T10 (body only) evokes old film camera designs. It's smaller and costs less than the company's X-T1, but maintains a lot of the performance and imaging power. It may have old-school looks, but inside is all modern day muscle.
Like old film cameras, the X-T10 is packed to the gills with buttons and dials. The better to adjust settings on the fly, of course.
You can't tell from afar, but the body of the X-T10 is actually made of plastic, unlike the metal on the higher-end X-T1. There's a right way to make a product with plastic and wrong way (hi Samsung!) and Fujifilm gets it right on this camera; it doesn't feel cheap at all.
The 3-inch screen on the back is incredibly sharp and it pops out, tilts up and down to a certain degree, but it's no touchscreen.
The X-T10 uses an APS-C sized image sensor -- the same size sensors you find in entry-level DSLRs.
For $1,100, the X-T10 comes with a basic 18-55mm "kit" lens, which is good for a wide range of shooting situations.
The X-T10 doesn't have in-body image stabilization. Instead, it relies on optical image stabilization (OIS) built into its lenses.
Fujifilm's mirrorless cameras use its X-mount lenses. There aren't as many X-mount lenses as there are Canon and Nikon DSLR lenses, but you can still find some good glass to fit almost any shooting situation.
Don't buy the Fujifilm X-T10 if you will only leave it in automatic mode. You'd be wasting your money and missing the camera's entire appeal.
The X-T10 is for people who understand (or want to learn) the intricacies of manually adjusting camera settings. At $800 for the body and $1,100 with an 18-55mm kit lens (what I tested), it's built for professionals who abhor touchscreens and love physical buttons and dials.
The camera also takes beautiful photos just like its more expensive big brother, the $1,200 X-T1.
See also: Can Fujifilm Bring Instant Film Cameras Into the Selfie Era?
Usually, when a company tries to sell you a cheaper version of its flagship product, corners are cut big time. The X-T10 retains most of the X-T1's key features. It has a 16-megapixel APS-C X-Trans CMOS II image processor, shoots 8 frames per second (fps) in burst mode and records video in various frame rates including...
If you've lusted for the X-T1, but could never justify one because of the price, the X-T10 looks to be the perfect little shooter without much compromise.
The X-T10 can easily be mistaken for an old film camera. While walking around New York City, I had a few people ask me why I was shooting film. When I told them it was a digital camera, they were intrigued.
I'm all for minimalist designs, but the X-T10 has character that other mirrorless cameras don't. The myriad controls (more on that below) are inviting, begging you to press each button, turn each dial and flip each lever. And, oh how satisfying they are to touch.
The camera body is made of plastic and not metal like on the X-T1, but it doesn't feel inferior at all. In fact, the only time it's obvious there's plastic is when you have the built-in pop-up flash flipped up.
At 13.4 ounces, the body is sturdy and has a good heft to it. The camera is wrapped in rubber and the grips (front and back) are roomy.
The X-T10 has a bright, high-resolution electronic viewfinder and sharp 3-inch display that tilts up and down.
The only cues that this camera is digital are on the backside. The 3-inch 920K-dot display is sharp beyond all expectations and the screen pops out and tilts — 45 degrees down and 90 degrees up, which is always a plus. The lack of a touchscreen might upset some people, but let me remind you again: If you want something...
The viewfinder is also an electronic one and not an optical one; when you bring the camera up to your eye, you see a tiny screen. Electronic viewfinders (EVFs) used to be low-res and laggy just a few years ago. The one on the X-T10 is easily one of the best; it's high-res and very bright — exactly how an EVF should be.
The X-T10 has built-in Wi-Fi and connects to iOS and Android devices. The Fujifilm remote app is outstandingly good. You can use it to adjust all of your camera settings and remotely snap photos and start a video recording. I didn't experience any sudden wireless dropouts between my iPhone 6 and the camera like I usual...
The camera's battery life is also as good as the X-T1: Up to 350 shots per charge.
If smartphones and simple point-and-shoots have you jaded about the future of cameras, the X-T10 is reassurance that physical buttons are here to stay for a very long time.
The camera's body is covered with buttons, dials and levers. It's a photographer nerd's dream.
On the left side of the camera is your drive (mode) dial. Fujifilm doesn't follow other camera companies with the traditional PSAM (Program, Shutter-priority, Aperture-priority, Manual) labeling, but that's fine. The system takes some getting used to if you're not familiar with it. As a shrunken down version of the X-T...

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