Boiling Springs resident and longtime Bojangles franchisee Jeff Rigsby struck a deal on March 1 with Bojangles Opco LLC to open 45 new locations over the next seven years.

Rigsby currently operates 92 locations in Georgia, Kentucky, North and South Carolina and Tennessee. He also has nine approved locations projected to open in 2021 and expects to own 100 open stores by 2022.

“Over the past 20 years, my partnership with Bojangles has been rewarding and full of growth, and this major milestone and accompanying investment deal is a perfect indicator of that,” he said. “I’m grateful for what we’ve accomplished together, and I’m excited for what’s to come.”

The new Bojangles locations will be developed around Rigsby’s core markets in the Southeast as well as into a new, expanded market in Columbus, Ohio.

In addition to the planned development of 45 new restaurants, Rigsby has acquired 16 company-operated restaurants from Bojangles, making him the largest franchisee in the fast food eatery’s system.

He joined the chicken and biscuits chain in 1994 as an area supervisor in Greenville and was later promoted to director of operations. In this role, he oversaw more than 35 stores throughout the Carolinas.

Rigsby went onto become a franchisee in 2001 when he bought six stores in Asheville, North Carolina. Since that time, his Bojangles franchise has seen exponential growth across five states.

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