Latest news with #Cajun-style
Newsweek
6 days ago
- Business
- Newsweek
Bojangles Announces Opening Plans for New York, New Jersey
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Bojangles, the North Carolina-based fast food chain known for its fried chicken and buttermilk biscuits, has unveiled plans to expand its East Coast restaurants. On Wednesday, Bojangles announced the signing of a 20-unit franchise agreement for New York City, adding that construction had begun on a first location in Brooklyn. In addition, plans are in place for more than 50 total locations across the New York metropolitan area over the next 10 years, including 35 units in New Jersey, as part of a major expansion of the Cajun-style restaurant chain. Newsweek has contacted Bojangles via email for further comment on the plans. Why It Matters Bojangles boasts more than 800 restaurants across several U.S. states. The announced expansion represents a strategic push into one of the largest, densest urban American markets and follows the chain's broader growth trend beyond its Southeastern base, where it has operated since 1977. What To Know According to Wednesday's announcement, Bojangles' 20-unit agreement for New York City has been spearheaded by Habib Hashimi and Hashimi Holding Corporation. In its news release, the company described Hashimi as an "experienced restaurant owner and operator" and "a natural fit to lead the brand's emergence into the New York market." According to Hashimi's LinkedIn page, he previously operated Dairy Queen and Popeyes locations. Construction is already underway on the first site, slated to open in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, this winter. A Bojangles restaurant in Charlotte, North Carolina, on June 19, 2022. A Bojangles restaurant in Charlotte, North Carolina, on June 19, 2022. Getty Images "As Bojangles enters New York City, the real estate opportunity, from high foot traffic to dense urban neighborhoods, is ideal for introducing the brand's Southern flavors to an entirely new audience," the company said. "That's great NYC is in for some seriously good chicken and biscuits," one X user wrote in response to an article about the announcement. The news marks Bojangles' return to New York City, where it had a short-lived presence in the early 1980s. The company also said the 35-restaurant development agreement signed for New Jersey underscored "Bojangles' larger mission to grow in key metropolitan markets." What People Are Saying Habib Hashimi of Hashimi Holding Corporation said in a news release: "Bojangles has always stood out to me—from its delicious chicken, biscuits and breakfast to its incredible franchisee support system. I couldn't be more proud to lead Bojangles' growth in New York City. Our team has extensive experience running quick-service concepts across New York and Connecticut, and I'm confident residents will fall in love with the Southern flavors, hospitality and convenience Bojangles has to offer." Bojangles CEO Jose Armario said in the news release: "It's a monumental moment, now that we're entering the New York Metropolitan area again. The East Coast is craving the authentic, Southern charm that Bojangles delivers, and we're excited to introduce locals to something new. The franchise groups behind this expansion are the exact partners we want to grow with—they bring the industry know-how, operational experience and leadership needed to grow Bojangles in a bustling market like New York." What Happens Next Bojangles has a number of similar development agreements in the pipeline, which Restaurant Dive calculated in 2023 could eventually push its total store count to over 1,000.
Business Wire
12-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Wire
Zapp's Launches New Bayou Blackened Ranch Kettle Chips
HANOVER, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Zapp's ®, the daringly different brand of chips and pretzels inspired by the sights, sounds and tastes of The Big Easy, serves up another bold bayou flavor with the launch of Bayou Blackened Ranch Flavored Kettle Chips. This addition to Zapp's parade of intriguing flavors blends Cajun-style blackened seasoning and zesty, tangy ranch for a taste that captures the spirit of Louisiana. Bayou Blackened Ranch Kettle Chips are thick-cut potatoes, kettle-cooked to deliver Zapp's signature, bold flavor, and crave-worthy crunch. They join the brand's unique potato chip flavor lineup that includes Voodoo ®, Spicy Cajun Crawtators ®, Big Cheezy ®, Salt & Vinegar, Cajun Dill Gator-tators ® and Mesquite Bar-B-Que. ' Zapp's new take on ranch flavoring provides a refreshing yet delightful flavor when paired with the Blackened Bayou seasoning,' said Stacey Schultz, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Utz Quality Foods, LLC, a subsidiary of Utz Brands, Inc. ' With our new Bayou Blackened Ranch chips, we took a classic recipe and turned it up a notch to introduce a snacking experience that's unmistakably Zapp's and bursting with New Orleans flavor. ' Zapp's Bayou Blackened Ranch Kettle Chips are available in 1.5, 2.5 and 8-ounce packages and can be found in major mass, grocery and convenience retailers across the U.S. and online for mail order at To learn more about Zapp's and its parade of bold flavors, visit Zapp's website or connect with Zapp's on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Enjoy, and as Always, laissez les bons temps rouler! #ZAPPS #ZAPPSBAYOU About Zapp's ® Potato Chips Inspired by the sights, sounds and tastes of New Orleans, Zapp's ® Potato Chips is a snack food manufacturer founded in Louisiana by Ron Zappe in 1985. Zapp's ® Potato Chips is a wholly owned subsidiary of Utz ® Quality Foods, LLC. Featuring an assortment of unique kettle-style potato chips and pretzel sticks, Zapp's ® products are sold by leading retailers in grocery, mass merchant, club and convenience stores. For more information about Zapp's ® or its products, please visit or call 1-800-FOR-SNAX. About Utz Brands, Inc. Utz Brands, Inc. (NYSE: UTZ) manufactures a diverse portfolio of savory snacks through popular brands, including Utz ®, On The Border ® Chips & Dips, Zapp's ® and Boulder Canyon ®, among others. After a century with a strong family heritage, Utz continues to have a passion for exciting and delighting consumers with delicious snack foods made from top-quality ingredients. Utz's products are distributed nationally through grocery, mass merchandisers, club, convenience, drug, and other channels. Based in Hanover, Pennsylvania, Utz has multiple manufacturing facilities across the U.S. to serve its growing customer base. For more information, please visit or call 1‐800‐FOR‐SNAX.
Eater
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
The Most Anticipated Restaurant Openings in Seattle for Summer 2025
When we look ahead to this summer of restaurant openings, there's something for everyone. For the meat lovers, Beast and Cleaver owner Kevin Smith is opening an English pub in Ballard that will be dishing out meat pies and sausage rolls. For Southern meat lovers, there's Jax Eat 'N Three, a takeout spot on Aurora. If you love Cajun-style seafood boils and hand-pulled noodles (a very particular type of person), there's the new Happy Crab on the Ballard waterfront. And if you love chocolate, Spinnaker in Fremont is set to unveil some rich new drinks. Here's our list of the most anticipated restaurants coming to Seattle this season: Where: 3509 Stone Way, in Fremont Who: Owner Kelly and Chris Van Arsdale You likely know about Spinnaker's chocolates — this craft bean-to-bar chocolate maker has been charming the city's tastemakers and appearing on local shelves for years. But did you know that the Arsdale brothers are opening a cafe inside their new Fremont chocolate factory? Expect drinks featuring Spinnaker's single-origin chocolate, plus the opportunity buy chocolates to take home and tour the factory. (The store and factory tours are already open; the cafe opens on the 28th.) Where: 5107 Ballard Avenue, in Ballard There's no great English food in Seattle. That's not according to us — that's according to London native Kevin Smith, who should know. Smith is the chef and butcher behind the acclaimed Beast and Cleaver, and his next project is a classic English pub with classic English pub food. Think sausage rolls, meat pies, Sunday roasts, various puddings, and Scotch eggs, all incorporating fat from freshly butchered animals. If you know Smith's work, you know these are all going to be executed with plenty of flair. Where: 7815 Aurora Avenue, in Green Lake Who: Owners Zach and Kali Lester Speaking of cuisines Seattle doesn't have much of, here's a rare-in-this-city of a Southern restaurant that isn't centered around barbecue. Jax Eat N Three (the name is a play on 'meat and three') features entrees like smoked chicken with Alabama white sauce (a horseradish-based sauce) and a bunch of veggie sides. For dessert, there'll be ice box cakes. Where: Fisherman's Terminal, in Interbay Who: Founders Seth and Zach Pacleb After years of bouncing around the Seattle restaurant scene and feeding farmers market customers at their Ramen and Tacos stand, the Pacleb brothers are launching a brick-and-mortar restaurant — with a little help from their friends. Pidgin Cooperative is one of Seattle's few worker-owned restaurants, meaning that employees can become member-owners (there are five so far, including the brothers). After a successful Kickstarter campaign, Pidgin is being built out in the former Highliner Public House and should open sometime this summer. The menu is still not set, but there will definitely be ramen, along with 'tavern/pub standards (fried chicken sandwich, smash burger, fish & chips) with our signature twist of prioritizing seasonal and hyper local ingredients,' according to a Pidgin spokesperson. Where: 6135 Seaview Ave, Seattle, WA 98107, in Ballard Lily Wu is the owner of Xi'an Noodles, which in the past decade has blossomed into a three-restaurant chain. She also owns Happy Crab, a restaurant in Auburn that combines hand-pulled noodles with Asian-Cajun seafood boils. Now Happy Crab is set to open a big flagship restaurant on the Ballard waterfront, right next to Ray's Boathouse. Sounds like the ideal way to close out summer. Where: 2336 Cherry Street in the Central District Who: Owner Tarik Abdullah This long-awaited restaurant is from chef Tarik Abdullah, who is maybe best known from his work with Feed the People, a community kitchen that has been providing food to those in need and training to young people for years. Amin will be a halal walk-up window serving flatbreads and small plates that draw on the rich melange of cultures Abdullah grew up among in South Seattle. See More: Coming Attractions Seattle Restaurant News
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The McDonald's Snack Wrap Comeback Is Confirmed, and There's a Whole Website for It
McDonald's officially confirms the permanent return of the Snack Wrap starting July 10, featuring McCrispy Strips, shredded cheese, and lettuce in Spicy and Ranch varieties. A new promotional website, has been launched to celebrate the return with fan content, updates, and exclusive media. The relaunch follows a wave of competition in the chicken snack space, including Popeyes' recent wrap debut and Taco Bell's investment in crispy chicken months, nothing has filled the Snack Wrap-sized void in our foodie hearts. The Golden Arches has some fantastic news for your summer plans — all that yearning might soon be a thing of the past. The long-lost Snack Wrap makes a permanent return to menus on July 10, as the company reveals to Food & Wine. This savory, tortilla-wrapped delight is one of the most notable menu items that customers have loved and lost, and the Google search data backs it up. Here are all the juicy details: The new and improved Snack Wrap features the recently launched McCrispy Strips along with shredded cheese and lettuce. It's available in two flavors, Spicy and Ranch, and customers can order them individually or as part of a two-piece combo meal. 'It's back,' McDonald's USA president Joe Erlinger succinctly confirmed in the company announcement. McDonald's tease last December sparked a flurry of supportive comments on social media. This time around, McDonald's is rolling out the digital red carpet with a website solely dedicated to next month's release and those fan reactions. On the platform McDonald's is exploring every aspect of the viral menu item. McDonald's explains on its website, 'We dropped to highlight the bond fans have with the Snack Wrap. We're delivering engaging, iconic and never-before-seen content — continuously updated leading up to the official return of the Snack Wrap.' Related: Our 50 Best Chicken Recipes This may all be thanks to a little peer pressure from Cajun-style competitor Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen. The comfort food chain unveiled its own version of a tortilla-wrapped snack earlier this week, describing it as the "same legendary Louisiana flavor with a whole new twist.' While Popeyes' version offers a spicier take on the portable meal, the similarities certainly aren't lost on their marketing team. 'Glad we could make that happen,' the official Popeyes account teased on McDonald's Instagram announcement, signing off the comment with a winking emoji. While McDonald's version is a clear fast food classic, it reflects a broader industry trend toward dippable chicken snacks. Earlier this year, Taco Bell reinvested in crispy chicken with its version of Crispy Chicken Nuggets. In the coming years, the Yum! Brands-owned company aims to concentrate its strategy on the wider crispy chicken category. Other brands, like Burger King, have attempted to introduce the Snack Wrap in recent years — but nothing quite compares to the original. If you catch us with an extra pep in our step this afternoon, you know exactly who we have to thank. Read the original article on Food & Wine
The Star
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Welcome to 'Ombak Kitchen', it gives you the pleasure of having South-East Asian seafood cuisine in its own Asia way of eating-style
To catch everyone's attention, this restaurant tagline reads: 'Pakai tangan jer -- Just use your hands)". Interestingly, enough, it seems to the perfect motto for foodies when they visit the Ombak Kitchen restaurant. The well-liked and well-known restaurant first started in Bangsar and then opened up in Bukit Jelutong, Shah Alam and then Putrajaya. It has now moved to nearer to heart of Kuala Lumpur and aim to serenade the city folks with their seafood fare in Setapak (The Palette @ The Ark). Just sail through the restaurants premium cajun seafood galore for lunch or dinner, fit for any occasion and celebrations with your loved ones. And just like their motto just go through their food the South-East Asian way -- with your hands. In a previous interview with The Star -- Ombak Kitchen chief executive officer Sharita Loo said that the restaurant's concept aimed at offering families a place to get-together and eating without worrying about the mess they made. 'We want to make each visit fun, relaxing, enjoyable and satisfying for our customers,' said the 41-year-old entrepreneur. Indeed, just have fun and forget all else as you go through their interesting menus that offer different kind of crabs, prawns, octopus, calamari, mussels and many kind of sea food fare that is found in our region. "Explore a variety of our seafood offerings, from succulent crabs and luxurious Alaskan king crab to flavorful lobsters and more. "Whether it's lunch, dinner, or a special occasion like an anniversary or birthday, we can help create unforgettable memories for you family and friends in our cozy, rustic setting— without burning a hole in your pocket," said Setapak branch manager Muzamal Bakri. "For the perfect finale, treat yourself to Ombak Kitchen's Sweet Temptation — an irresistible ending to your seafood feast. We promise it will be a wholesome meal that you will not forget." By far, the aromatic Cajun-style dishes with a touch of Malay and Indian style setting with fresh seafood in a homely setting is wooing people to Ombak Kitchen in Setapak. It seems to a favourite in a very cosy setting in the heart of the city. Their speciality sauces including - Ombak Hot Cajun Sauce, Dark Chilli Chocolate Sauce and Creamy Lemon Butter Sauce - are available to go with the seafood offering that comes in three types -- mild, medium and very spicy. "I would like to add our sauces are our greatest speciality. It has been prepared by our chefs and the tastes are very unique. All our sauces are done by our chefs and this is what makes a very special offering for our diners," sais Muzamal. The restaurant's special seafood combo also offers very special treat for 2-3, 3-4 and also family fare groups. It delivers a superb mixture of all kind of seafood delicacies mixed with many types of vegetable fare with their own special choice of sauces. Just the perfect for a group outing. An irresistible seafood feast that foodies will surely savour. "At the end of the day, we just want our customers to enjoy the forget the food, forget their daily fares and go home happy and contended. It is a believe that has helped this chain to grow in our other outlets. "This restaurant here (in Setapak) opened up in September last year. Our chef and our workers are committed to this belief and we hope KL-ites in the centre of town will now enjoy our happy offerings and return to enjoy our hospitality time and again," added Muzamal. "We promise our customer it will be one-of-a kind eating experience and wholesome fare." Well in short this food chain is very committed in 'sharing happiness' with their food fare and it is now for the foodies to go and try their offerings that comes with reasonable pricing for all kind of occasions.
