In the bustling world of quick-service restaurants (QSRs), innovation is the name of the game, and Bojangles just introduced a game-changer to its menu: Bo’s Bird Dog. A Chicken Supreme tender nestled in a split-top bun, topped with thick-cut pickles and drizzled with sweet-and-tangy Carolina Gold sauce. This ingenious menu item is an instant hit. We sat down with one of the masterminds behind the creation, Director of Menu and Culinary Innovation Michael Krimmer, to get to the bottom of just how this superhero snack came to be.
Q: Where did the idea for the Bird Dog come from?
A: The journey of Bo’s Bird Dogs began with a need for a standout tailgating treat. I was called to showcase tailgating food for a TV segment, exploring what could be done with Bojangles’ fare to serve a crowd. I put our legendary chicken Supremes in a hot dog bun, topped it with a dollop of coleslaw and some of our popular Bojangles sauces, and boom. I instantly knew this was the perfect snack. I may not have been a television hit, but my creation was.
Q: An instant classic! Did it immediately make it to the menu?
A: Not at first, no. I knew it had the potential to be a fan favorite, but I wasn’t sure customers would lean into the concept. The idea lay dormant until fate brought me and Josh (Josh Sims, Sr. Media Manager at Bojangles) together. We ran into each other when I was testing out Bird Dogs in the kitchen. When he saw the snack, Josh excitedly proclaimed, "That’s a bird dog!”, to which I replied, “Did you see me on the news?!” and Josh says, “No! That’s a Bird Dog! I used to eat those all the time growing up.”
Josh told me he’d enjoyed this dish for years as a kid. The creation was born out of necessity during his Pop Warner football days. He said it was the perfect combination of flavors and just the right size to feed crowds of kids on the go between games and practices. The merging of our experiences ignited a spark, prompting Tom Boland, Bojangles’ CMO, to champion the concept. With a resounding cry of “How quickly can we get these in restaurants?!” from Tom, the wheels were set in motion.
Q: How do you feel now that it’s on the menu?
A: Bringing a new—or old, in this case—concept to the menu is one of my favorite parts of my job. Filling a void on the menu is extremely satisfying. Before Bird Dogs, there weren’t any snack options for the afternoon or late-night. The Bird Dog meets a genuine need for our guests.
Bo’s Bird Dogs stand as a testament to the power of the people behind the food. What began as a humble experiment evolved into a full-blown menu item, and I’m just happy to have a small part in it! It’s Bo* Time!