Tag Archives: Bojangles

This Is My Thursday Rundown for 5-11-17

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Welcome back to Don’t Blink. Wherever you are, I hope you are getting some decent spring weather. Here we go with my latest Thursday Rundown…

Date Nights – Sidney and I spent part of a couple evenings this past week enjoying time together. On Saturday night we attended an Alice In Wonderland-themed Kentucky Derby party where we watched Always Dreaming gallop to victory. Then, last night, we attended a Coastal Carolina baseball game. The evening was absolutely gorgeous as we chomped down on ballpark food and relaxed in the friendly confines of Springs Brooks Stadium. Although the Chants ended up falling to the College of Charleston, 6-5, it was a pleasant experience. Thanks to Sidney’s family for watching over Sloan in both instances!

Sidney and I enjoyed our date nights at the Kentucky Derby party (left) and the Coastal Carolina baseball game (right).

So Much Energy – It was revealed yesterday that LSU’S head football coach, Ed Orgeron, drinks 8-10 energy drinks PER DAY. If I just drink ONE energy drink per day my head is spinning and my heart is pounding. To think about a 55-year-old man downing 10 Rock Stars in eight hours makes my body want to explode for him.

How can a person drink 10 energy drinks in a day?

New Great Value Ice Cream Flavors – Last summer, the world was stunned when the Walmart brand of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream was judged superior by Sidney over such powerhouses as Ben & Jerry’s and Blue Bunny. Empowered by the results of the blind taste test, I no longer felt embarrassed buying the Great Value brand. Last weekend, I noticed that more flavors are now available. Great Value has stepped up its game by offering more creative options such as an I Love Peanut Butter flavor and a Smores flavor. But what captured my taste buds was the Banana Puddin’ flavor. A banana flavored ice cream infused with a whipped cream ribbon and loads of vanilla wafer pieces, you might find yourself going back for another bowl. In my opinion, it is a perfect selection for the upcoming summer season. Next time you are at the ice cream aisle in Walmart, make sure to buy generic!

Banana Puddin’ ice cream by Great Value is something that both Sloan and I really like.

The Latest of Sloan – Each day, Sloan seems to get cuter. Likewise, each day I seem to grow as a dad. It is the perfect combination! Life is good and there is no greater joy than coming home at the end of the day and seeing my wife and daughter. Here is the latest photo collage of Sloan.

The latest photos of Sloan Anne Reser

Still Enjoying Southern Fast Food – Three years ago on this date, I ate at both a Waffle House and Bojangles for the first time…talk about a calorie binge! Both restaurants offered a tasty dining experience and 1,095 days later I still enjoy both places. However, I definitely eat at Bojangles more than Waffle House. There is a location right next to our house as I am quite fond of the Cajun filet biscuits for breakfast and the chicken rice bowls for lunch/dinner. A day later on May 12, 2014, after my arteries became unclogged, I blogged about the epic day of Southern fast food cuisine.

Three years ago on this date, I ate at Bojangles (left side of collage) and Waffle House (right side of collage) for the first time in my life.

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Thanks for reading. Enjoy your weekend and most of all make sure to have a very happy Mother’s Day. Don’t Blink.

Best Sports Marketing Promotion

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Having once been in the business myself, I love sports marketing. I still follow trends and I especially love watching how it plays out on gamedays in stadiums and arenas worldwide. However, for the recent cool promo I really like, I had to look no further than the athletic department at the school I work for.

Chanticleer Athletics has partnered with a local Bojangles restaurant on a very engaging and interactive halftime promotion. Once the halftime presentations and acts are through the public address announcer directs the attention of the crowd to the video screen. A message then comes up and fans are told to tweet it as fast as they can. The PA guy notifies the crowd that the first person to tweet out the text will win a $100 gift card while the second place person will receive a $50 gift card. Of course the message is a Bojangles advertisement that includes the local Bojangles Twitter handle (@GSBojangles).

This was the message that you had to tweet out at yesterday's game.

This was the message that you had to tweet out at yesterday’s game.

Once that message appears, you can pretty much hear the entire stadium deep in thought tapping on their phones. I participate and put myself under great pressure to tweet it out as soon as possible. Any little type of error while I type that impedes my progress causes me great frustration. When the message disappears from the video board, you can hear a collective groan from the crowd.

You bet I participate in the promotion! Sadly, even having a great vantage point on the sidelines didn't help me to win. (Thanks to Kevin Olivett for taking the sneaky photo).

You bet I participate in the promotion! Sadly, even having a great vantage point on the sidelines didn’t help me to win. (Thanks to Kevin Olivett for taking the sneaky photo).

The winners are announced over the public address system…both real name and Twitter handle, a big deal for people who are obsessed over building their followers. At the first game where this promotion was ran, the winners were even recognized in an on-field presentation with the Bojangles mascot. The social media leverage for Bojangles increased even more as the winners sent out Tweets and photos saying how cool the experience was.

At the Chant football game on September 27, the Bojangles promotion had its debut. This is the winner of the $100 gift card.

At the Chant football game on September 27, the Bojangles promotion had its debut. This is the winner of the $100 gift card.

If I was a business owner, what the Grand Strand Bojangles is doing right now is exactly how I would be spending my money. I would partner with a sports team or another entity that draws big crowds and do whatever I could to promote my social media networks. The fact that Bojangles is getting word out on their #1 social channel in such a creative and high profile way makes their investment even more impactful.

Seth Horton (left), Bojangles representative (center), and the Bojangles chicken (right) look on as tweets start to pour in at the September 27 game.

Seth Horton (left), Bojangles representative (center), and the Bojangles chicken (right) look on as tweets start to pour in at the September 27 game.

I tip my hat to Seth Horton and Kevin Olivett of Chanticleer Athletics and the Grand Strand Bojangles team for thinking up and executing such a great promotion. I love seeing this type of stuff. By the way, the Chanticleer football team won again yesterday and now boast a record of 8-0. When the polls come out tomorrow, the Chants will be the #2 team in the country (FCS). Purchase your tickets now for the next home game (11/15 vs. Monmouth) and not only watch some great football but also participate in the @GSBojangles Tweet-Off. Don’t Blink.

Bo-Berry Biscuits, Clemson Football, World Series, Pecan, Mikayla

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It is Thursday again! That means two really good things:
1. Tomorrow is Friday!
2. It is time for my Thursday rundown.
So how about we get this over with as quickly as possible? Here are five topics for you.

Famous Treat of the South – I recently wrote about my top five favorite fast food places. Cracking the bottom of that list was Bojangles, a chicken restaurant chain down here in the South. While I have enjoyed the standard fare for both dinner and breakfast, I had neglected to try its most famous item: The Bo-Berry biscuit. Today, Joanna, our editor at Coastal Carolina, brought in a couple boxes of the delicacy. Even though my body didn’t need for me to indulge, I grabbed one of the football shaped pastries and brought it to my desk. I savored every single bite of that frosted berry biscuit. I immediately knew why the item is so popular.

I took one of these Bo-Berry biscuits right out of this box!

I took one of these Bo-Berry biscuits right out of this box!

Weekend Trip to Clemson – This weekend Sidney is taking me on a birthday getaway to Clemson, South Carolina, for some ACC football. The Clemson Tigers will be hosting North Carolina State on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Our plan is to wake up super early on Saturday, drive over, experience the tailgating scene, enjoy the game, and then stay the night. We will head back to the Beach on Sunday morning. As many of you know, I love seeing different stadiums, no matter how small or big. I can’t wait to see the gameday experience that Clemson has to offer. Ironically, I will be returning to Clemson the following weekend for the game against Louisville. But more on that later.

Tickets and parking pass for this weekend's game.

Tickets and parking pass for this weekend’s game.

World Series Pick – The Major League Baseball playoffs are here! Both wild card games ended in disappointment for me so I am hoping my luck turns around now that the actual playoff series begin. My preference (and semi-prediction) for the 2014 World Series? Bring on the Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Dodgers! Because I saw the Orioles play a couple games in their own ballpark this year, I am going to root for them. Last year I saw the Boston Red Sox play in their own ballpark and they won the World Series so I am seeing if I am some type of good luck charm. As for the Dodgers, I have always been a fan and I would love to see Clayton Kershaw pitch on that stage. I would also love to see World Series games inside of Dodger Stadium, my second favorite ballpark in the Majors.

Pecan or Pecan? – As I have written about before, living in a new area has introduced me to different ways of pronouncing words and to the proliferation of different accents. There is one word, however, that divides our office more than any other: Pecan. Including me, half of our office pronounces it Pee-CON. The other half pronounce it Pee-CAN. I will be the first one to admit it, the way that I say it is not how it is spelled. The way that my southern co-workers pronounce it (Pee-CAN) is technically textbook correct. I might have to change my family-taught way of saying the word phonically incorrectly. How do you say PECAN?

Mikayla Update/Photos – A couple nights ago I got to Skype with my brand new niece Mikayla while my mom fed her. She is now four weeks old and cuter than ever. My sister sends me constant Snap Chat videos and photos of her. My dad e-mails me images on a consistent basis. Technology really does a noble job of bridging the distance gap but I am excited to see her this Thanksgiving.

Mikayla keeps getting cuter and cuter each day.

Mikayla keeps getting cuter and cuter each day.

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Have a great weekend everyone. Make sure to listen to “Homegrown Honey” by Darius Rucker because it is an awesome song with an even more awesome music video. Shake it down to your roots! Don’t Blink.

Eating at Two Powerhouse Food Chains in the South

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On my cross country drive to Myrtle Beach I started noticing something about the time I entered Missouri. Seemingly located every couple of miles of the remaining drive I saw a couple different restaurants over and over. One of these restaurants was Waffle House. I had never set foot in one before but knew of them because of pop culture and Bubba Watson. The second restaurant I kept seeing took me a while before I figured out what it was. Probably after passing the tenth one I saw I made out the name of Bojangles.

Well it took me almost two weeks in South Carolina to do so but yesterday I decided to eat at both of these southern staples. For lunch I dined at the Bojangles location right next to the campus of Coastal Carolina and then later that night I enjoyed dinner at a Waffle House a couple miles from my place. Besides gaining about ten pounds I also gained the experience of eating at these fine institutions. Also, since I ate by myself, I got to really take it all in and make some quality observations. Might as well stimulate my brain if I am killing my body, right?

The full name of the first restaurant I dined at is Bojangles Famous Chicken ‘n Biscuits. As you can probably gather, they specialize in serving fried chicken and biscuits. The restaurant is set up like any typical McDonalds or Jack in the Box. You go in, order your food at the counter, receive a number, and then sit at a table or booth. You pour your own drink and help yourself to napkins/condiments.

A look at the outside of the Bojangles I visited and the view from inside where I sat.

A look at the outside of the Bojangles I visited and the view from inside where I sat.

I ordered the two piece chicken meal. In addition to the chicken I also got a home-style fixin’ (a side item), a biscuit, and a drink. For chicken I received a leg and a wing and I chose mashed potatoes for my home-style fixin’. My food came out less than two minutes after I ordered it. I got my tray and went to my table, looked at my phone one last time, and then started eating.

Me getting ready to chow down at Bojangles.

Me getting ready to chow down at Bojangles.

The chicken had a slight spicy taste to it which I liked. But after that taste dissipated I didn’t really find anything that made it better from KFC. The biscuit in my opinion was just okay, kind of a little dry. So that should say enough; the two items they pride themselves on, chicken and biscuits, both came out as subpar in my book. The mashed potatoes left no impression on me at all. Of course I still ate every bit of my meal. Afterwards I went to the bathroom for a long hand washing before going off to campus to watch softball.

My plate of food. While it looks really good it was average.

My plate of food. While it looks really good it was average.

I had a much more satisfying experience at Waffle House. Although I must say I didn’t go in with really high expectations. It seemed like everyone I talked to at work or the people I have met here gave the chain a less than flattering review. Words such as “sketchy” and “low quality” coupled with sarcastic laughter seemed to predominate. But I love waffles and I want the whole southern experience so I knew I would look past the warnings and give it a shot.

A look at the exterior of the Waffle House I visited and where I sat at the counter.

A look at the exterior of the Waffle House I visited and where I sat at the counter.

Waffle Houses aren’t big places. They are small diners with an open kitchen. You can sit at the counter right in the middle and watch them cook your food or you can sit at surrounding tables. Because I was by myself I sat at the counter. An employee came up to me and asked if I knew what I wanted. I had to tell him I needed to look at a menu because it was my first time ever in a Waffle House. The guy literally thought I was kidding!

Me enjoying my experience at Waffle House.

Me enjoying my experience at Waffle House.

I ordered a double order of hash browns with cheese on top AND a peanut butter waffle. To wash it down I got a tall glass of cold milk. The hash browns tasted great. As I ate I could sense how heavy the browns were. Each bite delivered a heavy dose of butter and grease. To give them an extra little kick I added some tobasco and chowed down. After I ate the hash browns I turned to my waffle. They did a nice job of completely covering it with little peanut butter chips. With the waffle still hot even though I ate the potatoes first I closed my eyes in bliss as I ate. Rich and tasty I ate it wondering how the place gets such bad reviews. Unlike at Bojangles where I didn’t find the signature items all that special I felt the waffles at Waffle House were the real deal. (Funny side story: My server cooked himself up the exact same order I put in because he thought it looked so good).

My meal was awesome! Look at those hash browns!

My meal was awesome! Look at those hash browns!

As Waffle House is open 24 hours and there are about 164,093 of them in this area I will surely eat there again. I will give Bojangles another shot too. But I got to use caution. The risk of gaining a lot of weight in my new home is very real. With me eating at these two places I have added another notch to my southern belt. I think the accent comes next. Don’t Blink.