Bojangles, a fast-food chicken restaurant known for its Cajun-style menu and biscuits, announced plans to open here; and It’s Fashion Metro will lease the spot at Bainbridge Mall left vacant by Goody’s.

Bryan Zenchyk, director of leasing for In-Rel Management in Lake Worth, Fla., said It’s Fashion Metro will begin construction immediately of remodeling the 20,000-square-foot space, which accounts for 14 percent of the total space at the mall on Shotwell Street.

The scheduled opening will be sometime in the summer, Zenchyk said.

Goody’s closed on March 31 of last year, and the spot has been left vacant since. With It’s Fashion Metro leasing the spot, the mall will be 75 percent occupied.

The store features fashion styles for juniors, plus sizes, men and big men’s sizes, boys and girls, infants and toddlers, newborn and layette. Shoes and accessories are also available.

It’s Fashion Metro is part of Cato Corp., which also owns It’s Fashion. Both It’s Fashion and Cato are located at the Inland Port Center at 1408 Tallahassee Hwy.

Bojangles

Eric Newman, executive vice president for Bojangles, said in a telephone interview Thursday that the company is ready for a new generation of growth, and that Bainbridge is on the company’s radar.

Bojangles plans to open a new restaurant location in the Decatur County region that will invest initially upwards of $2 million into the local economy, as well as create upwards of 60 new jobs, Newman said.

“Specifically, Bainbridge has been identified as a prime spot for a new restaurant,” the company announcement stated.

Newman said the company is hunting for a franchise owner and a specific location hasn’t been decided. However, Bainbridge fits its profile as being a small to medium town located in a rural or suburban area.

Bojangles plans to open more than 25 new restaurants in the next three to five years. In Georgia specifically, the average store count growth has doubled since 2004. Prior to 2004, Bojangles has 19 stores and now there are 38.

Bojangles first opened in 1977 in Charlotte, N.C. It has more than 450 stores in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, Virginia, Georgia, Maryland, Alabama and Pennsylvania, as well as a number in Honduras.

The menu features such items as spicy Cajun-style fried chicken, Cajun gravy, dirty rice and Cajun pintos, iced tea and biscuits that are served throughout the day.