FRANKLIN—When the Love’s Travel Stop opens next year, Bojangles will be the featured restaurant.

“Love’s Travel Stop will do the construction,” said Jim Whitehead, co-owner of a Bojangles franchise. “We’re aiming to start this December.”

The debut for the public will be in late May or early June.

“We’re going to open at the same time,” added Whitehead.

Both will be located on a 20-acre tract on South Street, near the Highway 58 bypass. Going toward Murfreesboro, the site is on the left prior to the Highway 58 exit. The land is being cleared.

He and co-owner Charlie Parker already have a restaurant in Farmville and Emporia, each seating 78 people per site.

Before the men got interested in the franchise, Whitehead worked for Parker Oil Co. as its controller for 18 years. Parker Oil Co. still has a location in Franklin.

“Charlie Parker, the owner, and I took on the Bojangles brand and are growing it. It’s such a good brand and a great opportunity to expand.”

He estimates probably 25 to 30 people would be needed for the new 72-seat Bojangles.

“We’ll have a web site, apply.bojangles.com, and we hope to be up by the end of this week,” added Whitehead. “Because Love’s will own the building itself, a half-million dollars will be our investment.”

He continued, “The one thing different about the food is that we serve breakfast and chicken – Cajun spice chicken – all day. We do a lot of catering and large orders as well. “We’ve been looking to come to the Franklin area for awhile,” Whitehead said. “We’re excited.”

Love’s had intended to have a restaurant from the start, and talks began about four months ago, said Amanda Jarratt, president and chief executive officer of the Franklin-Southampton Economic Development Inc.

“We were putting the right people in touch with each other. It happened rather quickly,” she said.

“I think Bojangles is great franchise,” Jarratt added. “It’s a good attraction for highway traffic as well as a new option for the community. Plus, it’s a great revenue source for the city.”

Another person expecting good things from Bojangles arrival is Franklin Mayor Raystine Johnson-Ashburn.

“How excited am I? It brings another choice. We’re expanding and offering variety for people, as well as bringing jobs,” Johnson-Ashburn said. “I’m excited we’re finally making progress.”

The mayor added that she believes Bojangles is going to be a credit to the city as well as the neighborhood.

“It’s an offering we just have not had before in that area,” the mayor said.