Bojangles' (BOJA) 10-Q 11 Jun 15 2015 Q1 Quarterly report Financial data

Document_and_Entity_Informatio

Document and Entity Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 29, 2015	Jun. 08, 2015
Document Information [Line Items]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	FALSE
Document Period End Date	29-Mar-15
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2015
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Trading Symbol	BOJA
Entity Registrant Name	BOJANGLES', INC.
Entity Central Index Key	1630132
Current Fiscal Year End Date	-15
Entity Filer Category	Non-accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		35,950,959

Condensed_Consolidated_Balance

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (USD $)	Mar. 29, 2015	Dec. 28, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$14,117	$13,201
Accounts and vendor receivables, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $167 and $208	3,599	4,285
Accounts receivable, related parties, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $38 and $24	441	736
Inventories, net	2,441	2,743
Other current assets	2,742	2,669
Total current assets	23,340	23,634
Property and equipment, net	44,453	42,478
Goodwill	161,140	161,140
Brand	290,500	290,500
Franchise rights, net	26,163	26,438
Favorable leases, net	1,799	1,908
Deferred debt issuance costs, net	2,542	2,726
Other noncurrent assets	3,031	3,819
Total assets	552,968	552,643
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	13,911	15,639
Accrued expenses	18,061	18,479
Current maturities of long-term debt	0	0
Current maturities of capital lease obligations	4,721	4,365
Other current liabilities	4,476	1,655
Total current liabilities	41,169	40,138
Long-term debt, less current maturities	224,597	228,249
Deferred income taxes	115,339	116,589
Capital lease obligations, less current maturities	20,119	20,144
Other noncurrent liabilities	10,562	9,771
Total liabilities	411,786	414,891
Commitments and contingencies (notes 2, 12 and 13)
Stockholders' equity:
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value; 200,000 shares authorized, 100,000 issued and outstanding	172,691	172,691
Common stock, $0.01 par value; 200,000 shares authorized, no shares outstanding	0	0
Additional paid-in capital	-55,881	-56,220
Retained earnings	24,573	21,135
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	-201	146
Total stockholders' equity	141,182	137,752
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	$552,968	$552,643

Condensed_Consolidated_Balance1

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) (USD $)	Mar. 29, 2015	Dec. 28, 2014
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified
Accounts receivable, allowance for doubtful accounts	$208	$167
Accounts receivable, related parties, allowance for doubtful accounts	$24	$38
Preferred stock, par value	$0.01	$0.01
Preferred stock, shares authorized	200,000	200,000
Preferred stock, shares issued	100,000	100,000
Preferred stock, shares outstanding	100,000	100,000
Common stock, par value	$0.01	$0.01
Common stock, shares authorized	200,000	200,000
Common stock, outstanding	0	0

Condensed_Consolidated_Stateme

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 29, 2015	Mar. 30, 2014
Revenues:
Company restaurant revenues	$108,336	$90,755
Franchise royalty revenues	5,936	5,198
Other franchise revenues	375	225
Total revenues	114,647	96,178
Company restaurant operating expenses:
Food and supplies costs	36,561	30,184
Restaurant labor costs	30,468	25,562
Operating costs	23,871	20,360
Depreciation and amortization	2,674	2,318
Total Company restaurant operating expenses	93,574	78,424
Operating income before other operating expenses	21,073	17,754
Other operating expenses:
General and administrative	10,913	6,983
Depreciation and amortization	659	544
Impairment	15
Gain on disposal of property and equipment	-2
Total other operating expenses	11,585	7,527
Operating income	9,488	10,227
Amortization of deferred debt issuance costs	-184	-186
Interest income	1	1
Interest expense	-2,222	-2,018
Income before income taxes	7,083	8,024
Income taxes	3,645	3,039
Net income	3,438	4,985
Other comprehensive income, net of tax
Change in fair value on interest rate swaps, net of income tax benefit of $37 and $216	-347	-51
Comprehensive income	$3,091	$4,934
Net income per share (notes 1 and 17)
Basic	$0	$0
Diluted	$0.09	$0.13

Condensed_Consolidated_Stateme1

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Parenthetical) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 29, 2015	Mar. 30, 2014
Interest rate swaps, income tax benefit	$216	$37

Condensed_Consolidated_Stateme2

Condensed Consolidated Statement of Stockholders' Equity (USD $)	Total	Preferred stock	Additional paid-in capital	Retained earnings	Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)
In Thousands
Beginning balance at Dec. 28, 2014	$137,752	$172,691	($56,220)	$21,135	$146
Net income	3,438			3,438
Change in fair value on interest rate swaps, net of income tax benefit of $216	-347				-347
Stock-based compensation	339		339
Ending balance at Mar. 29, 2015	$141,182	$172,691	($55,881)	$24,573	($201)

Condensed_Consolidated_Stateme3

Condensed Consolidated Statement of Stockholders' Equity (Parenthetical) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 29, 2015	Mar. 30, 2014
Change in fair value on interest rate swaps, tax	$216	$37

Condensed_Consolidated_Stateme4

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 29, 2015	Mar. 30, 2014
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income	$3,438	$4,985
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Deferred income tax benefit	-1,158
Depreciation and amortization	3,333	2,862
Amortization of deferred debt issuance costs	184	186
Impairment	15
Gain on disposal of property and equipment	-2
Provision for doubtful accounts	24	5
(Benefit) provision for inventory spoilage	6	-11
Benefit for closed stores	-50
Stock-based compensation	339	399
Changes in operating assets and liabilities	685	-3,369
Net cash provided by operating activities	6,814	5,057
Cash flows from investing activities:
Purchases of property and equipment	-1,168	-712
Proceeds from disposition of property and equipment	17
Net cash used in investing activities	-1,151	-712
Cash flows from financing activities:
Principal payments on long-term debt	-3,652
Principal payments on capital lease obligations	-1,095	-977
Net cash used in financing activities	-4,747	-977
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents	916	3,368
Cash and cash equivalents balance, beginning of period	13,201	8,456
Cash and cash equivalents balance, end of period	14,117	11,824
Supplemental cash flow disclosures:
Cash paid for interest	2,207	2,004
Cash paid for income taxes	3,534	3,636
Assets acquired under capital leases	1,468	148
Net change in assets under financing obligations	2,470	-331
Reduction of capital lease obligations upon return of assets	$41	$24

Summary_of_Significant_Operati

Summary of Significant Operations and Accounting Policies	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 29, 2015
Summary of Significant Operations and Accounting Policies	-1	Summary of Significant Operations and Accounting Policies
		(a)	Operations
	Bojangles’, Inc. (formerly known as BHI Holding Corp.) (“Bojangles’”, the “Company”, “we” or “our”) was formed on June 28, 2011 as a Delaware corporation. The Company’s principal business is the operations and development and franchising, as franchisor, of limited service restaurants. As of March 29, 2015, there were 258 Company-operated restaurants, 59 related party franchised restaurants, and 318 independent franchised restaurants operating under the Bojangles’ name. The restaurants are located principally in the Southeastern United States. The Company’s franchising activity is regulated by the laws of the various states in which it is registered to sell franchises, as well as rules promulgated by the Federal Trade Commission. The legislation and rules, among other things, establish minimum disclosure requirements to a prospective franchisee and require periodic registration by the Company with state administrative agencies.
	The following is the number of Bojangles’ franchised, Company-operated and system-wide restaurants at the beginning and end of the thirteen weeks ended March 29, 2015:
			Franchised			Company-		System-
						Operated		Wide
	Restaurants at the beginning of the period			368			254		622
	Opened during the period			12			4		16
	Closed during the period			(3	)		—		(3	)
	Refranchised during the period			—			—		—
	Restaurants at the end of the period			377			258		635
	A relocation results in a closure and an opening. During the thirteen weeks ended March 29, 2015, our franchisees closed three restaurants, all of which were relocations.
		(b)	Basis of Presentation and Consolidation
	The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and practices of the United States of America (“GAAP”) for interim financial information. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary for a fair statement of the results for interim periods have been included.
	Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in audited consolidated financial statements presented in accordance with GAAP have been condensed or omitted pursuant to rules and regulations of the SEC.
	The Company has not presented historical basic net income per share because our historical capital structure makes the presentation of net income per share not meaningful as the Company does not have any shares of common stock outstanding as of March 29, 2015. The computation of diluted net income per share assumes the conversion of the outstanding preferred stock into common stock. Diluted net income per share is computed by dividing net income by the weighted-average number of fully diluted common shares outstanding as calculated under the treasury stock method using the initial public offering price of $19.00 per share.
	These condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with our results of operations, financial positions and cash flows in the Company’s financial statements as of and for the fiscal year ended December 28, 2014.
	The results of operations and cash flows reported in these condensed consolidated financial statements should not be regarded as necessarily indicative of results that may be expected for the entire fiscal year.
	The Company consolidates entities in which we have a controlling financial interest, the usual condition of which is ownership of a majority voting interest. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions are eliminated in consolidation.
		(c)	Fiscal Year
	The Company operates on a 52- or 53-week fiscal year ending on the last Sunday of December. Each of the fiscal years ended December 28, 2014 and December 27, 2015 consist of 52 weeks, with each fiscal quarter consisting of thirteen weeks.
		(d)	Use of Accounting Estimates
	The preparation of condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of certain assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Accordingly, the actual amounts could differ from those estimates. Any adjustments applied to estimated amounts are recognized in the fiscal year in which such adjustments are determined.
		(e)	New Accounting Pronouncements
	In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. This update was issued to replace the current revenue recognition guidance, creating a more comprehensive revenue model. This update is effective in fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2016 and early application is not permitted. In April 2015, the FASB proposed deferring the effective date by one year to annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. The FASB also proposed permitting early adoption of the standard, but not before the original effective date of December 15, 2016. We are currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of ASU 2014-09 on our consolidated financial statements.
	In June 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-12, Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718). The new guidance provides new criteria for accounting for share-based payments when the terms of an award provide that a performance target could be achieved after the requisite service period. The amendments require that a performance target that affects vesting and that could be achieved after the requisite service period is treated as a performance condition. A reporting entity should apply existing guidance in Topic 718 as it relates to awards with performance conditions and compensation cost should be recognized in the period in which it becomes probable that the performance target will be achieved. The standard will be effective for the first interim period within annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2015. Early adoption is permitted. The Company does not expect to early adopt this guidance and does not believe that the adoption of this guidance will have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.
	In April 2015, FASB issued ASU 2015-03, Interest—Imputation of Interest (“ASU 2015-03”). The standard requires that debt issuance costs be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of the debt liability, consistent with debt discounts or premiums. ASU 2015-03 is effective for annual periods, and interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2015 and early adoption is permitted. The Company does not expect to early adopt this guidance and does not believe that the adoption of this guidance will have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.
	The FASB has recently issued or discussed a number of proposed standards on such topics as consolidation, financial statement presentation, leases, financial instruments and hedging. Some of the proposed changes are significant and could have a material impact on our reporting. The Company has not yet fully evaluated the potential impact of all these proposals, but will make such an evaluation as the standards are finalized.

LongTerm_Debt

Long-Term Debt	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 29, 2015
Long-Term Debt	-2	Long-Term Debt
	Long-term debt consist of the following (in thousands):
			December 28,			March 29,
			2014			2015
	Term Loan, due October 9, 2018		$	228,249			224,597
	Revolving line of credit, due October 9, 2018			—			—
	Total long-term debt			228,249			224,597
	Less: Current maturities of long term debt			—			—
	Long-term debt, less current maturities		$	228,249			224,597
		(a)	Term Loan and Revolving Line of Credit
	On October 9, 2012, the Company entered into a credit agreement (“Credit Agreement”) with several financial institutions, collateralized by all of the assets of the Company. The Credit Agreement was subsequently amended on May 15, 2013 and again on April 11, 2014.
	As of December 28, 2014, there were outstanding balances under the term loan in one-month Eurodollar loans of $228.2 million, all of which were accruing interest at a rate of approximately 2.91%. As of March 29, 2015, there were outstanding balances under the term loan in one-month Eurodollar loans of $224.6 million, all of which were accruing interest at a rate of approximately 2.92%.
	As of December 28, 2014 and March 29, 2015, there were no outstanding balances under the revolving line of credit.
	Pursuant to the Credit Agreement, certain covenants restrict the Company from exceeding a maximum consolidated total lease adjusted leverage ratio, require the Company to maintain a minimum consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio, and place certain limitations on cash capital expenditures. The Company was not in violation of any covenants under the Credit Agreement as of December 28, 2014 and March 29, 2015.
		(b)	Interest Rate Swap Agreements
	The Company enters into interest-rate-related derivative instruments to manage its exposure related to changes in interest rates on its variable-rate debt instruments. The Company does not enter into derivative instruments for any purpose other than cash flow hedging. The Company does not speculate using derivative instruments.
	By using derivative financial instruments to hedge exposures to changes in interest rates, the Company exposes itself to credit risk. Credit risk is the failure of the counterparty to perform under the terms of the derivative contract. When the fair value of a derivative contract is positive, the counterparty owes the Company, which creates credit risk for the Company. When the fair value of a derivative contract is negative, the Company owes the counterparty and, therefore, the Company is not exposed to the counterparty’s credit risk in those circumstances. The Company minimizes counterparty credit risk in derivative instruments by entering into transactions with high-quality counterparties. The derivative instruments entered into by the Company do not contain credit-risk-related contingent features.
	The Company assesses interest rate risk by continually identifying and monitoring changes in interest rate exposures that may adversely impact expected future cash flows and by evaluating hedging opportunities. The Company maintains risk management control systems to monitor interest rate risk attributable to both the Company’s outstanding or forecasted debt obligations as well as the Company’s offsetting hedge positions.
	The Company enters into variable-rate LIBOR debt under the term loan credit agreement. The debt obligations expose the Company to variability in interest payments due to changes in interest rates. Management believes that it is prudent to limit the variability of a portion of its interest payments. To meet this objective, management entered into LIBOR based interest rate swap agreements to manage fluctuations in cash flows resulting from changes in the benchmark interest rate of LIBOR. These swaps change the variable-rate cash flow exposure on part of the debt obligations to fixed cash flows. Under the terms of the interest rate swaps, the Company receives LIBOR based variable interest rate payments and makes fixed interest rate payments, thereby creating the equivalent of fixed-rate debt for the notional amount of its debt hedged.
	The activity in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) is as follows (in thousands):
			Fiscal Year			Thirteen
			Ended			Weeks Ended
			December 28,			March 29,
			2014			2015
	Opening balance, accumulated other comprehensive income		$	414			146
	Unrealized loss from effective interest rate swap, net of tax			(268	)		(347	)
	Ending balance, accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)		$	146			(201	)

Fair_Value_Measurements

Fair Value Measurements	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 29, 2015
Fair Value Measurements	-3	Fair Value Measurements
	The following methods and assumptions were used to estimate the fair value of each class of financial instruments:
		•		Cash and cash equivalents, trade accounts and vendor receivables, other assets (nonderivatives), notes payable to financial institutions, trade accounts payable, and accrued expenses (nonderivatives): The carrying amounts, at face value or cost plus accrued interest, approximate fair value because of the short maturity of these instruments.
		•		Interest rate swaps: The fair value of interest rate swaps is determined using an income approach using the following significant inputs: the term of the swaps, the notional amount of the swaps, and the rate on the fixed leg of the swaps. There were three interest rate swaps outstanding as of March 29, 2015.
	The following table presents financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis, which include derivatives designated as cash flow hedging instruments, and other investments, which consists of money market accounts and mutual funds held in a rabbi trust established by the Company to fund a portion of the Company’s current and future obligations under its deferred compensation plan (in thousands):
						Quoted Prices
						in active		Significant
						markets for		other			Significant
						identical		observable			unobservable
			Carrying			instruments		inputs			inputs
			value			(Level 1)		(Level 2)			(Level 3)
	Fair value measurement as of December 28, 2014:
	Investments for nonqualified deferred compensation plan (included with other noncurrent assets on the consolidated balance sheets)		$	2,202			2,202		—			—
	Interest rate swap (included with other noncurrent assets on the consolidated balance sheets)			338			—		338			—
	Interest rate swap (included with other noncurrent liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets)			(100	)		—		(100	)		—
	Fair value measurement as of March 29, 2015:
	Investments for nonqualified deferred compensation plan (included with other noncurrent assets on the consolidated balance sheets)		$	2,537			2,537		—			—
	Interest rate swap (included with other noncurrent assets on the consolidated balance sheets)			25			—		25			—
	Interest rate swap (included with other noncurrent liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets)			(350	)		—		(350	)		—
	There were no transfers into or out of Level 1 and Level 2 fair value measurements during the thirteen weeks ended March 29, 2015.
	Our investments for the nonqualified deferred compensation plan are comprised of investments held in a rabbi trust. These investments consist of money market funds and mutual funds and the fair value measurements are derived using quoted prices in active markets for the specific funds which are based on Level 1 inputs of the fair value hierarchy.
	Our interest rate swaps are valued using a discounted cash flow analysis that incorporates observable market parameters, such as interest rate yield curves and currency rates, classified as Level 2 within the valuation hierarchy. Derivative valuations incorporate credit risk adjustments that are necessary to reflect the probability of default by us or the counterparty.

Other_Current_Assets

Other Current Assets	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 29, 2015
Other Current Assets	-4	Other Current Assets
	Other current assets consist of the following (in thousands):
			December 28,		March 29,
			2014		2015
	Income taxes refundable		$	855		—
	Prepaid expenses			647		1,451
	Deferred income taxes			1,167		1,291
	Other current assets		$	2,669		2,742

Property_and_Equipment_Net

Property and Equipment, Net	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 29, 2015
Property and Equipment, Net	-5	Property and Equipment, Net
	Property and equipment, net consist of the following (in thousands):
			Useful lives	December 28,			March 29,
				2014			2015
	Land		—	$	1,140			1,140
	Buildings		Up to 40 years		620			620
	Furniture, fixtures and equipment		Up to 5 years		14,837			15,238
	Computer hardware and software		Up to 3 years		5,412			5,545
	Leasehold improvements		Up to 20 years		20,145			21,088
	Capital leases, buildings		Lesser of lease term or 40 years		8,553			8,553
	Capital leases, equipment		Lesser of lease term or 5 years		17,466			18,172
	Capital leases, automobiles		Lesser of lease term or 5 years		2,689			2,860
	Construction-in-progress		—		3,015			5,508
	Total				73,877			78,724
	Less:
	Accumulated depreciation				(20,750	)		(22,520	)
	Accumulated amortization				(10,649	)		(11,751	)
	Property and equipment, net			$	42,478			44,453
	Depreciation and amortization expense related to property and equipment was $2.6 million and $3.1 million for the thirteen weeks ended March 30, 2014 and March 29, 2015, respectively.

Franchise_Rights_Net

Franchise Rights, Net	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 29, 2015
Franchise Rights, Net	-6	Franchise Rights, Net
	Franchise rights, net are as follows (in thousands):
			December 28,			March 29,
			2014			2015
	Franchise rights, including reacquired franchise rights		$	29,623			29,623
	Less accumulated amortization			(3,185	)		(3,460	)
	Franchise rights, net		$	26,438			26,163
	Amortization expense related to franchise rights was $0.2 million and $0.3 million during the thirteen weeks ended March 30, 2014 and March 29, 2015, respectively.

Deferred_Debt_Issuance_Costs_N

Deferred Debt Issuance Costs, Net	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 29, 2015
Deferred Debt Issuance Costs, Net	-7	Deferred Debt Issuance Costs, Net
	Deferred debt issuance costs, net are as follows (in thousands):
			December 28,			March 29,
			2014			2015
	Deferred debt issuance costs		$	4,254			4,254
	Less accumulated amortization			(1,528	)		(1,712	)
	Deferred debt issuance costs, net		$	2,726			2,542
	Debt issuance costs are capitalized and amortized using the effective interest method over the initial term of the related loan.

Other_Noncurrent_Assets

Other Noncurrent Assets	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 29, 2015
Other Noncurrent Assets	-8	Other Noncurrent Assets
	Other noncurrent assets consist of the following (in thousands):
			December 28,		March 29,
			2014		2015
	Investments for nonqualified deferred compensation plan		$	2,202		2,537
	Interest rate swap asset			338		25
	Deferred initial public offering costs			846		—
	Other noncurrent assets			433		469
	Other noncurrent assets		$	3,819		3,031
	As of December 28, 2014, deferred initial public offering costs, which primarily consisted of direct, incremental legal and accounting fees relating to the Company’s initial public offering (“IPO”), were capitalized within other noncurrent assets. The deferred initial public offering costs were expected to be offset against IPO proceeds due to the Company for newly issued shares of common stock upon the consummation of the IPO. Subsequent to March 29, 2015, all of the shares of our common stock offered as part of the IPO were sold by selling stockholders. Accordingly, the Company did not receive any proceeds from the sale of the shares. As a result, approximately $2.7 million of expenses incurred by the Company related to the IPO, including the previously deferred initial public offering costs, were recorded within general and administrative expense on the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations during the thirteen weeks ended March 29, 2015. Costs related to the IPO incurred subsequent to March 29, 2015 were expensed as incurred.

Other_Current_Liabilities

Other Current Liabilities	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 29, 2015
Other Current Liabilities	-9	Other Current Liabilities
	Other current liabilities consist of the following (in thousands):
			December 28,		March 29,
			2014		2015
	Financing obligations under build-to-suit transactions		$	937		3,407
	Income taxes payable			—		415
	Closed store obligation			155		91
	Escrow liability			563		563
	Other current liabilities		$	1,655		4,476

Accrued_Expenses

Accrued Expenses	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 29, 2015
Accrued Expenses	-10	Accrued Expenses
	Accrued expenses consist of the following (in thousands):
			December 28,		March 29,
			2014		2015
	Payroll & related		$	11,938		9,435
	Sales and property taxes			2,268		3,354
	Gift cards			761		561
	Utilities			1,107		1,110
	Occupancy			490		517
	Interest			796		810
	Other			1,119		2,274
	Accrued expenses		$	18,479		18,061

Other_Noncurrent_Liabilities

Other Noncurrent Liabilities	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 29, 2015
Other Noncurrent Liabilities	-11	Other Noncurrent Liabilities
	Other noncurrent liabilities consist of the following (in thousands):
			December 28,		March 29,
			2014		2015
	Deferred rents		$	4,271		4,657
	Unfavorable lease liability, net			2,111		2,038
	Deferred compensation			2,202		2,537
	Deferred revenue			598		515
	Closed store obligation			454		430
	Interest rate swap liability			100		350
	Other noncurrent liabilities			35		35
	Other noncurrent liabilities		$	9,771		10,562
	Deferred revenue includes initial franchise license fees that have been received, but for which the Company has not completed its obligations under these franchise agreements; therefore, revenue has not been recognized.

Commitments_and_Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 29, 2015
Commitments and Contingencies	-12	Commitments and Contingencies
		(a)	Litigation
	The Company is subject to various claims and litigation that arise in the normal course of business. Management is of the opinion that, although the outcome of the litigation cannot be predicted with any certainty, the ultimate liability, if any, will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
		(b)	Concentration of Credit Risk
	Certain financial instruments potentially subject the company to a concentration of credit risk. These financial instruments consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents and accounts and vendor receivables. The Company places its cash and cash equivalents with high-credit, quality financial institutions. At times, the balances in the accounts exceed the amounts insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
	Concentration of credit risk with respect to receivables is primarily limited to franchisees, which are primarily located in the southeastern United States and certain vendors. Royalty revenues from three franchisees, one of which is a related party franchisee, accounted for approximately 44% of the Company’s total franchise royalty revenues for each of the thirteen weeks ended March 30, 2014 and March 29, 2015. Royalty and franchise fee accounts receivable from three franchisees, one of which is a related party franchisee, accounted for approximately 44% and 43% of the Company’s gross royalty and franchise fee accounts receivable as of December 28, 2014 and March 29, 2015, respectively. The Company continually evaluates and monitors the credit history of its franchisees and believes it has an adequate allowance for bad debts.
		(c)	Debt Guarantees
	Prior to July 25, 2011, a franchisee of the Company assumed a portion of the Company’s then outstanding term debt, which the Company guarantees through 2018. The Company may be required to perform under this guarantee in the event of default or nonperformance by this franchisee. The Company has determined default by the franchisee is unlikely due to their timely and consistent payments; therefore, the Company has not recorded a liability for this note on its consolidated balance sheets. The carrying value of debt covered by this additional guarantee of the Company was $0.2 million and $0.1 million as of December 28, 2014 and March 29, 2015, respectively.

Leases

Leases	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 29, 2015
Leases	-13	Leases
	The Company’s agreement with a financial institution providing up to $5.0 million for leasing of equipment with a remaining capacity of approximately $2.1 million available as of December 28, 2014 was scheduled to expire on March 1, 2015. Subsequent to March 1, 2015, the financial institution agreed to provide up to $5.0 million for leasing of equipment through March 1, 2016. Under this leasing arrangement, each of the scheduled leases has a 60 month term, a fixed interest rate equal to the interest rate swap for a 2.61 year weighted average life as published by the Bloomberg Swap report on the lease commencement date for the specific equipment project plus 300 basis points, and a bargain purchase option at the end of the lease of $1.
	The Company’s agreement with another financial institution providing up to $2.5 million for leasing of equipment with a remaining capacity of approximately $1.1 million available as of December 28, 2014 was scheduled to expire on December 31, 2014. Subsequent to December 31, 2014, the financial institution agreed to provide up to $1.8 million for leasing of equipment through January 31, 2016. Under this leasing arrangement, each of the scheduled leases has a 60 month term, a fixed interest rate equal to the 32 month interpolated interest rate swap on the lease commencement date for the specific equipment project plus 391 basis points, and a bargain purchase option at the end of the lease of $1.

Income_Taxes

Income Taxes	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 29, 2015
Income Taxes	-14	Income Taxes
	The Company’s effective income tax rates were 37.9% and 51.5% for the thirteen weeks ended March 30, 2014 and March 29, 2015, respectively. The effective income tax rate for the thirteen weeks ended March 29, 2015 was impacted by costs related to the IPO that are not deductible for income tax purposes.

Stock_Compensation_Plan

Stock Compensation Plan	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 29, 2015
Stock Compensation Plan	-15	Stock Compensation Plan
	The 2011 Equity Incentive Plan (the “ 2011 Plan”) was adopted pursuant to which the Company’s board of directors may grant stock options to officers, directors, employees, and consultants of the Company and its subsidiaries. There are up to 13,636 shares available for issuance under the 2011 Plan of authorized but unissued common stock.
	Stock options are granted at a price determined by the board of directors or committee designated by the board at not less than the fair market value of a share on the date of grant. The term of each option shall be determined by the board of directors or committee designated by the board at the time of grant and shall be no greater than ten years. At March 29, 2015, there were 1,159 additional shares available for grant under the 2011 Plan.
	Stock option activity during the period indicated is as follows:
								Weighted
						Weighted		average		Aggregate
						average		remaining		intrinsic
			Number			exercise		contractual		value
			of shares			price		term		(in thousands)
	Balance as of December 28, 2014			12,421		$	1,350		7.8	$	28,349
	Granted			—			—
	Exercised			—			—
	Repurchased			—			—
	Forfeited			(19	)		727
	Expired			—			—
	Balance as of March 29, 2015			12,402		$	1,351		7.6	$	67,847
	Exercisable as of March 29, 2015			5,323		$	834		7.2	$	31,873
	As of March 29, 2015, there was $3.0 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to time based stock options, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of approximately two years.

Related_Party_Transactions

Related Party Transactions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 29, 2015
Related Party Transactions	(16) Related Party Transactions
	Advent International Corporation (“Advent”) is related to the Company through members of the Board of Directors and ownership of the Company. The Company reimburses Advent for certain expenses. Total amounts incurred for expenses reimbursed to Advent were $22 thousand and $13 thousand for the thirteen weeks ended March 30, 2014 and March 29, 2015, respectively. There were no amounts included in accounts payable due to Advent as of both December 28, 2014 and March 29, 2015.
	Panthers Football, LLC (“The Panthers”) is owned by family members of certain indirect stockholders of the Company. The Company has marketing and sponsorship agreements with The Panthers. Total expenses incurred under these agreements were $0.1 million for each of the thirteen weeks ended March 30, 2014 and March 29, 2015.
	Cajun Jack’s, LLC (“Cajun”) is owned by family members of certain indirect stockholders and a member of the board of directors of the Company. Cajun is a franchisee of the Company. Cajun remits payments to the Company for royalties, marketing, and franchise license fees. As of both December 28, 2014 and March 29, 2015, gross accounts receivable due from Cajun was $9 thousand. For the thirteen weeks ended March 30, 2014 and March 29, 2015, the Company recognized royalty revenue of $21 thousand and $23 thousand, respectively, from Cajun.
	New Generation Foods, LLC (“New Generation”) is owned by family members of certain indirect stockholders and a member of the board of directors of the Company. New Generation is a franchisee of the Company. New Generation remits payments to the Company for royalties, marketing, and franchise license fees. As of December 28, 2014 and March 29, 2015, gross accounts receivable due from New Generation was $45 thousand and $58 thousand, respectively. For each of the thirteen weeks ended March 30, 2014 and March 29, 2015, the Company recognized royalty revenue of $0.1 million from New Generation. For the thirteen weeks ended March 30, 2014 and March 29, 2015, the Company recognized franchise fee revenue of $0 and $35 thousand, respectively, from New Generation. The Company has agreed to match New Generation’s advertising expenditures in an amount up to 1% of New Generation’s sales from January 29, 2014 through July 31, 2015. The Company incurred $19 thousand and $31 thousand under the terms of this agreement during the thirteen weeks ended March 30, 2014 or March 29, 2015, respectively.
	Tri-Arc Food Systems, Inc. (“Tri-Arc”) owns an interest in the Company. In addition, an owner of Tri-Arc is a member of the board of directors of the Company. Tri-Arc is a franchisee of the Company. Tri-Arc remits payments to the Company for royalties, marketing, and franchise license fees. As of both December 28, 2014 and March 29, 2015, gross accounts receivable due from Tri-Arc was $0.4 million. For the thirteen weeks ended March 30, 2014 and March 29, 2015, the Company recognized royalty revenue of $1.1 million and $1.2 million and franchise fee revenue of $13 thousand and $13 thousand, respectively, from Tri-Arc. In addition, the Company reimburses Tri-Arc for shared marketing costs. Total payments to Tri-Arc for the marketing costs were $18 thousand for each of the thirteen weeks ended March 30, 2014 and March 29, 2015, respectively.
	JZF Properties, LLC (“JZF”) is owned by family members of certain indirect stockholders and a member of the board of directors of the Company. JZF leases a building and land to the Company for use as a restaurant operated by the Company. For the thirteen weeks ended March 30, 2014 and March 29, 2015, the Company made total rent payments of $62 thousand and $47 thousand, respectively, to JZF.
	MAR Real Estate, LLC (“MRE”) is owned by a certain indirect stockholder of the Company. MRE leases land and buildings to the Company for use as restaurants operated by the Company. For the thirteen weeks ended March 30, 2014 and March 29, 2015, the Company made total rent payments of $74 thousand and $41 thousand, respectively, to MRE.

Subsequent_Events

Subsequent Events	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 29, 2015
Subsequent Events	(17) Subsequent Events
	On April 6, 2015, the Company filed a registration statement with the SEC in anticipation of the IPO of its common stock. The registration statement was declared effective on May 7, 2015. Prior to the consummation of the IPO (i) a 359.03843-for-1 stock split of the Company’s common stock was effected (subject to rounding to eliminate any fractional shares), (ii) the conversion ratio of the Company’s Series A Preferred Stock was automatically adjusted as a result of the stock split in accordance with certain anti-dilution provisions in the Company’s certificate of incorporation and (iii) each share of the Company’s Series A Preferred Stock converted into 359.03843 shares of the Company’s common stock (subject to rounding to eliminate any fractional shares). The Company has accordingly presented pro forma basic and diluted net income per share for the thirteen weeks ended March 30, 2014 and March 29, 2015.
	Pro forma basic and diluted net income per share are computed by dividing net income by the basic and diluted pro forma weighted average number of common shares outstanding, after giving effect to the transactions described above, including the conversion of all outstanding shares of the Company’s Series A Preferred Stock into 35,903,836 shares of the Company’s common stock as though the conversion had occurred as of December 30, 2013, the beginning of the thirteen weeks ended March 30, 2014. Additionally, the pro forma weighted average number of common shares outstanding used to calculate pro forma diluted net income per share includes the dilutive effect of outstanding stock options as calculated under the treasury stock method using the IPO price of $19.00 per share.
	The computation of pro forma basic and diluted net income per share for the thirteen weeks ended March 30, 2014 and March 29, 2015 are as follows:
		Thirteen Weeks Ended
		March 30, 2014				March 29, 2015
		Basic		Diluted		Basic		Diluted
	Net income as reported (in thousands)	$	4,985		4,985		3,438		3,438
	Pro forma weighted average number of common shares outstanding:
	Weighted average number of common shares assumed from the conversion of Series A Preferred Stock after giving effect to the stock split		35,903,836		35,903,836		35,903,836		35,903,836
	Weighted average dilutive effect of stock options after giving effect to the stock split		—		1,088,521		—		1,470,785
	Pro forma weighted average number of common shares used to calculate pro forma net income per share		35,903,836		36,992,357		35,903,836		37,374,621
	Pro forma net income per share	$	0.14		0.13		0.1		0.09
	All of the shares of our common stock were sold by selling stockholders named in the Prospectus. Accordingly, the Company did not receive any proceeds from the sale of shares in the offering. We agreed to pay the expenses of the selling stockholders related to the offering other than the underwriting discounts and commissions. We expect to incur a total of approximately $5.0 million in offering related expenses, of which $0.2 million and $2.7 million were recorded during the fiscal year ended December 28, 2014 and the thirteen weeks ended March 29, 2015, respectively, and the remainder will be recorded during the thirteen weeks ended June 28, 2015.
	Effective immediately prior to the IPO, the Company’s board of directors and stockholders approved the amendment and restatement of the 2011 Plan, as set forth in the Bojangles’, Inc. Amended and Restated 2011 Equity Incentive Plan, to increase the number of shares of common stock authorized for issuance to 8,500,000 and to authorize the award of restricted stock units and performance awards.

Summary_of_Significant_Operati1

Summary of Significant Operations and Accounting Policies (Policies)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 29, 2015
Operations		(a)	Operations
	Bojangles’, Inc. (formerly known as BHI Holding Corp.) (“Bojangles’”, the “Company”, “we” or “our”) was formed on June 28, 2011 as a Delaware corporation. The Company’s principal business is the operations and development and franchising, as franchisor, of limited service restaurants. As of March 29, 2015, there were 258 Company-operated restaurants, 59 related party franchised restaurants, and 318 independent franchised restaurants operating under the Bojangles’ name. The restaurants are located principally in the Southeastern United States. The Company’s franchising activity is regulated by the laws of the various states in which it is registered to sell franchises, as well as rules promulgated by the Federal Trade Commission. The legislation and rules, among other things, establish minimum disclosure requirements to a prospective franchisee and require periodic registration by the Company with state administrative agencies.
	The following is the number of Bojangles’ franchised, Company-operated and system-wide restaurants at the beginning and end of the thirteen weeks ended March 29, 2015:
			Franchised			Company-		System-
						Operated		Wide
	Restaurants at the beginning of the period			368			254		622
	Opened during the period			12			4		16
	Closed during the period			(3	)		—		(3	)
	Refranchised during the period			—			—		—
	Restaurants at the end of the period			377			258		635
	A relocation results in a closure and an opening. During the thirteen weeks ended March 29, 2015, our franchisees closed three restaurants, all of which were relocations.
Basis of Presentation and Consolidation		(b)	Basis of Presentation and Consolidation
	The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and practices of the United States of America (“GAAP”) for interim financial information. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary for a fair statement of the results for interim periods have been included.
	Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in audited consolidated financial statements presented in accordance with GAAP have been condensed or omitted pursuant to rules and regulations of the SEC.
	The Company has not presented historical basic net income per share because our historical capital structure makes the presentation of net income per share not meaningful as the Company does not have any shares of common stock outstanding as of March 29, 2015. The computation of diluted net income per share assumes the conversion of the outstanding preferred stock into common stock. Diluted net income per share is computed by dividing net income by the weighted-average number of fully diluted common shares outstanding as calculated under the treasury stock method using the initial public offering price of $19.00 per share.
	These condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with our results of operations, financial positions and cash flows in the Company’s financial statements as of and for the fiscal year ended December 28, 2014.
	The results of operations and cash flows reported in these condensed consolidated financial statements should not be regarded as necessarily indicative of results that may be expected for the entire fiscal year.
	The Company consolidates entities in which we have a controlling financial interest, the usual condition of which is ownership of a majority voting interest. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions are eliminated in consolidation.
Fiscal Year		(c)	Fiscal Year
	The Company operates on a 52- or 53-week fiscal year ending on the last Sunday of December. Each of the fiscal years ended December 28, 2014 and December 27, 2015 consist of 52 weeks, with each fiscal quarter consisting of thirteen weeks.
Use of Accounting Estimates		(d)	Use of Accounting Estimates
	The preparation of condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of certain assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Accordingly, the actual amounts could differ from those estimates. Any adjustments applied to estimated amounts are recognized in the fiscal year in which such adjustments are determined.
New Accounting Pronouncements		(e)	New Accounting Pronouncements
	In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. This update was issued to replace the current revenue recognition guidance, creating a more comprehensive revenue model. This update is effective in fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2016 and early application is not permitted. In April 2015, the FASB proposed deferring the effective date by one year to annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. The FASB also proposed permitting early adoption of the standard, but not before the original effective date of December 15, 2016. We are currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of ASU 2014-09 on our consolidated financial statements.
	In June 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-12, Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718). The new guidance provides new criteria for accounting for share-based payments when the terms of an award provide that a performance target could be achieved after the requisite service period. The amendments require that a performance target that affects vesting and that could be achieved after the requisite service period is treated as a performance condition. A reporting entity should apply existing guidance in Topic 718 as it relates to awards with performance conditions and compensation cost should be recognized in the period in which it becomes probable that the performance target will be achieved. The standard will be effective for the first interim period within annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2015. Early adoption is permitted. The Company does not expect to early adopt this guidance and does not believe that the adoption of this guidance will have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.
	In April 2015, FASB issued ASU 2015-03, Interest—Imputation of Interest (“ASU 2015-03”). The standard requires that debt issuance costs be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of the debt liability, consistent with debt discounts or premiums. ASU 2015-03 is effective for annual periods, and interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2015 and early adoption is permitted. The Company does not expect to early adopt this guidance and does not believe that the adoption of this guidance will have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.
	The FASB has recently issued or discussed a number of proposed standards on such topics as consolidation, financial statement presentation, leases, financial instruments and hedging. Some of the proposed changes are significant and could have a material impact on our reporting. The Company has not yet fully evaluated the potential impact of all these proposals, but will make such an evaluation as the standards are finalized.

Summary_of_Significant_Operati2

Summary of Significant Operations and Accounting Policies (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 29, 2015
Number of Franchised, Company-Operated and System-Wide Restaurants	The following is the number of Bojangles’ franchised, Company-operated and system-wide restaurants at the beginning and end of the thirteen weeks ended March 29, 2015:
		Franchised			Company-		System-
					Operated		Wide
	Restaurants at the beginning of the period		368			254		622
	Opened during the period		12			4		16
	Closed during the period		(3	)		—		(3	)
	Refranchised during the period		—			—		—
	Restaurants at the end of the period		377			258		635

LongTerm_Debt_Tables

Long-Term Debt (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 29, 2015
Long-Term Debt	Long-term debt consist of the following (in thousands):
		December 28,			March 29,
		2014			2015
	Term Loan, due October 9, 2018	$	228,249			224,597
	Revolving line of credit, due October 9, 2018		—			—
	Total long-term debt		228,249			224,597
	Less: Current maturities of long term debt		—			—
	Long-term debt, less current maturities	$	228,249			224,597
Activity in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	The activity in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) is as follows (in thousands):
		Fiscal Year			Thirteen
		Ended			Weeks Ended
		December 28,			March 29,
		2014			2015
	Opening balance, accumulated other comprehensive income	$	414			146
	Unrealized loss from effective interest rate swap, net of tax		(268	)		(347	)
	Ending balance, accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	$	146			(201	)

Fair_Value_Measurements_Tables

Fair Value Measurements (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 29, 2015
Financial Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on Recurring Basis	The following table presents financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis, which include derivatives designated as cash flow hedging instruments, and other investments, which consists of money market accounts and mutual funds held in a rabbi trust established by the Company to fund a portion of the Company’s current and future obligations under its deferred compensation plan (in thousands):
					Quoted Prices
					in active		Significant
					markets for		other			Significant
					identical		observable			unobservable
		Carrying			instruments		inputs			inputs
		value			(Level 1)		(Level 2)			(Level 3)
	Fair value measurement as of December 28, 2014:
	Investments for nonqualified deferred compensation plan (included with other noncurrent assets on the consolidated balance sheets)	$	2,202			2,202		—			—
	Interest rate swap (included with other noncurrent assets on the consolidated balance sheets)		338			—		338			—
	Interest rate swap (included with other noncurrent liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets)		(100	)		—		(100	)		—
	Fair value measurement as of March 29, 2015:
	Investments for nonqualified deferred compensation plan (included with other noncurrent assets on the consolidated balance sheets)	$	2,537			2,537		—			—
	Interest rate swap (included with other noncurrent assets on the consolidated balance sheets)		25			—		25			—
	Interest rate swap (included with other noncurrent liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets)		(350	)		—		(350	)		—

Other_Current_Assets_Tables

Other Current Assets (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 29, 2015
Other Current Assets	Other current assets consist of the following (in thousands):
		December 28,		March 29,
		2014		2015
	Income taxes refundable	$	855		—
	Prepaid expenses		647		1,451
	Deferred income taxes		1,167		1,291
	Other current assets	$	2,669		2,742

Property_and_Equipment_Net_Tab

Property and Equipment, Net (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 29, 2015
Property and Equipment, Net	Property and equipment, net consist of the following (in thousands):
		Useful lives	December 28,			March 29,
			2014			2015
	Land	—	$	1,140			1,140
	Buildings	Up to 40 years		620			620
	Furniture, fixtures and equipment	Up to 5 years		14,837			15,238
	Computer hardware and software	Up to 3 years		5,412			5,545
	Leasehold improvements	Up to 20 years		20,145			21,088
	Capital leases, buildings	Lesser of lease term or 40 years		8,553			8,553
	Capital leases, equipment	Lesser of lease term or 5 years		17,466			18,172
	Capital leases, automobiles	Lesser of lease term or 5 years		2,689			2,860
	Construction-in-progress	—		3,015			5,508
	Total			73,877			78,724
	Less:
	Accumulated depreciation			(20,750	)		(22,520	)
	Accumulated amortization			(10,649	)		(11,751	)
	Property and equipment, net		$	42,478			44,453

Franchise_Rights_Net_Tables

Franchise Rights, Net (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 29, 2015
Franchise Rights, Net	Franchise rights, net are as follows (in thousands):
		December 28,			March 29,
		2014			2015
	Franchise rights, including reacquired franchise rights	$	29,623			29,623
	Less accumulated amortization		(3,185	)		(3,460	)
	Franchise rights, net	$	26,438			26,163

Deferred_Debt_Issuance_Costs_N1

Deferred Debt Issuance Costs, Net (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 29, 2015
Deferred Debt Issuance Costs, Net	Deferred debt issuance costs, net are as follows (in thousands):
		December 28,			March 29,
		2014			2015
	Deferred debt issuance costs	$	4,254			4,254
	Less accumulated amortization		(1,528	)		(1,712	)
	Deferred debt issuance costs, net	$	2,726			2,542

Other_Noncurrent_Assets_Tables

Other Noncurrent Assets (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 29, 2015
Components of Other Noncurrent Assets	Other noncurrent assets consist of the following (in thousands):
		December 28,		March 29,
		2014		2015
	Investments for nonqualified deferred compensation plan	$	2,202		2,537
	Interest rate swap asset		338		25
	Deferred initial public offering costs		846		—
	Other noncurrent assets		433		469
	Other noncurrent assets	$	3,819		3,031

Other_Current_Liabilities_Tabl

Other Current Liabilities (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 29, 2015
Other Current Liabilities	Other current liabilities consist of the following (in thousands):
		December 28,		March 29,
		2014		2015
	Financing obligations under build-to-suit transactions	$	937		3,407
	Income taxes payable		—		415
	Closed store obligation		155		91
	Escrow liability		563		563
	Other current liabilities	$	1,655		4,476

Accrued_Expenses_Tables

Accrued Expenses (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 29, 2015
Accrued Expenses	Accrued expenses consist of the following (in thousands):
		December 28,		March 29,
		2014		2015
	Payroll & related	$	11,938		9,435
	Sales and property taxes		2,268		3,354
	Gift cards		761		561
	Utilities		1,107		1,110
	Occupancy		490		517
	Interest		796		810
	Other		1,119		2,274
	Accrued expenses	$	18,479		18,061

Other_Noncurrent_Liabilities_T

Other Noncurrent Liabilities (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 29, 2015
Other Noncurrent Liabilities	Other noncurrent liabilities consist of the following (in thousands):
		December 28,		March 29,
		2014		2015
	Deferred rents	$	4,271		4,657
	Unfavorable lease liability, net		2,111		2,038
	Deferred compensation		2,202		2,537
	Deferred revenue		598		515
	Closed store obligation		454		430
	Interest rate swap liability		100		350
	Other noncurrent liabilities		35		35
	Other noncurrent liabilities	$	9,771		10,562

Stock_Compensation_Plan_Tables

Stock Compensation Plan (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 29, 2015
Stock Option Activity	Stock option activity during the period indicated is as follows:
							Weighted
					Weighted		average		Aggregate
					average		remaining		intrinsic
		Number			exercise		contractual		value
		of shares			price		term		(in thousands)
	Balance as of December 28, 2014		12,421		$	1,350		7.8	$	28,349
	Granted		—			—
	Exercised		—			—
	Repurchased		—			—
	Forfeited		(19	)		727
	Expired		—			—
	Balance as of March 29, 2015		12,402		$	1,351		7.6	$	67,847
	Exercisable as of March 29, 2015		5,323		$	834		7.2	$	31,873

Subsequent_Events_Tables

Subsequent Events (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 29, 2015
Computation of Pro Forma Basic and Diluted Net Income Per Share	The computation of pro forma basic and diluted net income per share for the thirteen weeks ended March 30, 2014 and March 29, 2015 are as follows:
		Thirteen Weeks Ended
		March 30, 2014				March 29, 2015
		Basic		Diluted		Basic		Diluted
	Net income as reported (in thousands)	$	4,985		4,985		3,438		3,438
	Pro forma weighted average number of common shares outstanding:
	Weighted average number of common shares assumed from the conversion of Series A Preferred Stock after giving effect to the stock split		35,903,836		35,903,836		35,903,836		35,903,836
	Weighted average dilutive effect of stock options after giving effect to the stock split		—		1,088,521		—		1,470,785
	Pro forma weighted average number of common shares used to calculate pro forma net income per share		35,903,836		36,992,357		35,903,836		37,374,621
	Pro forma net income per share	$	0.14		0.13		0.1		0.09

Summary_of_Significant_Operati3

Summary of Significant Operations and Accounting Policies - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 29, 2015	Dec. 28, 2014	Jun. 11, 2015
	Restaurant
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Common stock, outstanding	0	0
Subsequent Event
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Shares issued, price per share			$19
Company-Operated
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Number of restaurants	258	254
Related party franchised
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Number of restaurants	59
Independent franchised
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Number of restaurants	318
Franchised
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Number of restaurants	377	368
Closed during the period	3

Number_of_Franchised_CompanyOp

Number of Franchised, Company-Operated and System- Wide Restaurants (Detail)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 29, 2015
	Restaurant
Franchised
Franchisor Disclosure [Line Items]
Restaurants at the beginning of the period	368
Opened during the period	12
Closed during the period	-3
Refranchised during the period	0
Restaurants at the end of the period	377
Company-Operated
Franchisor Disclosure [Line Items]
Restaurants at the beginning of the period	254
Opened during the period	4
Refranchised during the period	0
Restaurants at the end of the period	258
System-Wide
Franchisor Disclosure [Line Items]
Restaurants at the beginning of the period	622
Opened during the period	16
Closed during the period	-3
Refranchised during the period	0
Restaurants at the end of the period	635

LongTerm_Debt_Detail

Long-Term Debt (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 29, 2015	Dec. 28, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Debt and Financial Instruments [Line Items]
Long Term Debt	$224,597	$228,249
Less: Current maturities of long term debt	0	0
Long-term debt, less current maturities	224,597	228,249
Term Loan
Debt and Financial Instruments [Line Items]
Long Term Debt	$224,597	$228,249

LongTerm_Debt_Parenthetical_De

Long-Term Debt (Parenthetical) (Detail)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Mar. 29, 2015	Dec. 28, 2014
Term Loan
Debt and Financial Instruments [Line Items]
Maturity date	9-Oct-18	9-Oct-18
Revolving line of credit
Debt and Financial Instruments [Line Items]
Maturity date	9-Oct-18	9-Oct-18

LongTerm_Debt_Additional_Infor

Long-Term Debt - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 29, 2015	Dec. 28, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Debt and Financial Instruments [Line Items]
Long Term Debt	$224,597	$228,249
Term Loan
Debt and Financial Instruments [Line Items]
Long Term Debt	$224,597	$228,249
Line of Credit | One-month Eurodollar loans
Debt and Financial Instruments [Line Items]
Interest rate	2.92%	2.91%

Activity_in_Accumulated_Other_

Activity in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 29, 2015	Mar. 30, 2014	Dec. 28, 2014
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Opening balance, accumulated other comprehensive income	$146	$414	$414
Unrealized loss from effective interest rate swap, net of tax	-347	-51	-268
Ending balance, accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	($201)		$146

Financial_Assets_and_Liabiliti

Financial Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on Recurring Basis (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 29, 2015	Dec. 28, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Investments for nonqualified deferred compensation plan (included with other noncurrent assets on the consolidated balance sheets)	$2,537	$2,202
Interest rate swap (included with other noncurrent assets on the consolidated balance sheets)	25	338
Interest rate swap (included with other noncurrent liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets)	-350	-100
Quoted Prices in active market for identical instruments (Level 1) | Other Noncurrent Assets
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Investments for nonqualified deferred compensation plan	2,537	2,202
Significant other observable inputs (Level 2) | Other Noncurrent Assets
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Interest rate swap	25	338
Significant other observable inputs (Level 2) | Other Noncurrent Liabilities
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Interest rate swap	-350	-100
Carrying value
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Investments for nonqualified deferred compensation plan (included with other noncurrent assets on the consolidated balance sheets)	2,537	2,202
Interest rate swap (included with other noncurrent assets on the consolidated balance sheets)	25	338
Interest rate swap (included with other noncurrent liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets)	($350)	($100)

Fair_Value_Measurements_Additi

Fair Value Measurements - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 29, 2015
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair value, assets, Level 1 to Level 2 transfers, amount	$0
Fair value, assets, Level 2 to Level 1 transfers, amount	0
Fair value, liabilities, Level 2 to Level 1 transfers, amount	$0

Other_Current_Assets_Detail

Other Current Assets (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 29, 2015	Dec. 28, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Other Current Assets [Line Items]
Income taxes refundable		$855
Prepaid expenses	1,451	647
Deferred income taxes	1,291	1,167
Other current assets	$2,742	$2,669

Property_and_Equipment_Net_Det

Property and Equipment, Net (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 29, 2015	Dec. 28, 2014
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	78,724	$73,877
Accumulated depreciation	-22,520	-20,750
Accumulated amortization	-11,751	-10,649
Property and equipment, net	44,453	42,478
Buildings
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	620	620
Buildings | Maximum
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, useful life	40 years
Furniture, fixtures and equipment
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	15,238	14,837
Furniture, fixtures and equipment | Maximum
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, useful life	5 years
Computer hardware and software
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	5,545	5,412
Computer hardware and software | Maximum
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, useful life	3 years
Leasehold Improvements
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	21,088	20,145
Leasehold Improvements | Maximum
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, useful life	20 years
Capital leases | Buildings
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	8,553	8,553
Capital leases | Buildings | Maximum
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, useful life	40 years
Capital leases | Equipment
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	18,172	17,466
Capital leases | Equipment | Maximum
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, useful life	5 years
Capital leases | Automobiles
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	2,860	2,689
Capital leases | Automobiles | Maximum
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, useful life	5 years
Land
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	1,140	1,140
Construction in Progress
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	5,508	$3,015

Property_and_Equipment_Net_Add

Property and Equipment, Net - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 29, 2015	Mar. 30, 2014
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Depreciation and amortization	$659	$544
Property and Equipment
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Depreciation and amortization	$3,100	$2,600

Franchise_Rights_Net_Detail

Franchise Rights, Net (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 29, 2015	Dec. 28, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Franchise rights, net	$26,163	$26,438
Franchise Rights
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Franchise rights, including reacquired franchise rights	29,623	29,623
Less accumulated amortization	-3,460	-3,185
Franchise rights, net	$26,163	$26,438

Franchise_Rights_Net_Additiona

Franchise Rights, Net - Additional Information (Detail) (Franchise Rights, USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 29, 2015	Mar. 30, 2014
Franchise Rights
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Amortization expense	$0.30	$0.20

Deferred_Debt_Issuance_Costs_N2

Deferred Debt Issuance Costs, Net (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 29, 2015	Dec. 28, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Deferred Financing Cost[Line Items]
Deferred debt issuance costs	$4,254	$4,254
Less accumulated amortization	-1,712	-1,528
Deferred debt issuance costs, net	$2,542	$2,726

Components_of_Other_Noncurrent

Components of Other Noncurrent Assets (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 29, 2015	Dec. 28, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Other Noncurrent Assets [Line Items]
Investments for nonqualified deferred compensation plan	$2,537	$2,202
Interest rate swap asset	25	338
Deferred initial public offering costs		846
Other noncurrent assets	469	433
Other noncurrent assets	$3,031	$3,819

Other_Noncurrent_Assets_Additi

Other Noncurrent Assets - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 29, 2015	Dec. 28, 2014
Other Noncurrent Assets [Line Items]
Expenses related to IPO including the previously deferred initial public offering costs	$2.70	$0.20

Other_Current_Liabilities_Deta

Other Current Liabilities (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 29, 2015	Dec. 28, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Other Current Liabilities [Line Items]
Financing obligations under build-to-suit transactions	$3,407	$937
Income taxes payable	415
Closed store obligation	91	155
Escrow liability	563	563
Other current liabilities	$4,476	$1,655

Accrued_Expenses_Detail

Accrued Expenses (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 29, 2015	Dec. 28, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Accrued Liabilities [Line Items]
Payroll & related	$9,435	$11,938
Sales and property taxes	3,354	2,268
Gift cards	561	761
Utilities	1,110	1,107
Occupancy	517	490
Interest	810	796
Other	2,274	1,119
Accrued expenses	$18,061	$18,479

Other_Noncurrent_Liabilities_D

Other Noncurrent Liabilities (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 29, 2015	Dec. 28, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Other Non Current Liabilities [Line Items]
Deferred rents	$4,657	$4,271
Unfavorable lease liability, net	2,038	2,111
Deferred compensation	2,537	2,202
Deferred revenue	515	598
Closed store obligation	430	454
Interest rate swap liability	350	100
Other noncurrent liabilities	35	35
Other noncurrent liabilities	$10,562	$9,771

Commitments_and_Contingencies_

Commitments and Contingencies - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 29, 2015	Mar. 30, 2014	Dec. 28, 2014
Commitment And Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of franchisees	3
Guarantees expiration year	2018
Carrying value of debt covered by additional guarantee	$0.10		0.2
Related Party Franchisees
Commitment And Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of franchisees	1
Royalty Revenue | Franchisee
Commitment And Contingencies [Line Items]
Concentration percentage	44.00%	44.00%
Accounts Receivable | Franchisee
Commitment And Contingencies [Line Items]
Concentration percentage	43.00%		44.00%

Leases_Additional_Information_

Leases - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 29, 2015	Dec. 28, 2014
Financing Agreement One | Equipment Lease Arrangement
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Lease term	60 months
Percentage added to interest rate	3.00%
Bargain purchase option at the end of the lease	$1
Financing Agreement One | Equipment Lease Arrangement | Interest Rate Swap
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Interest rate swap, weighted average life	2 years 7 months 10 days
Financing Agreement One | Equipment Lease Arrangement | Credit facility scheduled to expire on March 1,2015
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Maximum borrowing	5,000,000
Remaining borrowing capacity		2,100,000
Expiration date	1-Mar-15
Financing Agreement One | Equipment Lease Arrangement | Credit facility provided subsequent to March 1, 2015
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Maximum borrowing	5,000,000
Expiration date	1-Mar-16
Financing Agreement Two
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Lease term	60 months
Percentage added to interest rate	3.91%
Bargain purchase option at the end of the lease	1
Financing Agreement Two | Interest Rate Swap
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Interest rate swap, weighted average life	32 months
Financing Agreement Two | Credit facility scheduled to expire on December 31, 2014
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Maximum borrowing	2,500,000
Remaining borrowing capacity		1,100,000
Expiration date	31-Dec-14
Financing Agreement Two | Credit facility provided subsequent to December 31, 2014
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Maximum borrowing	$1,800,000
Expiration date	31-Jan-16

Income_Taxes_Additional_Inform

Income Taxes - Additional Information (Detail)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 29, 2015	Mar. 30, 2014
Income Taxes [Line Items]
Effective income tax rates	51.50%	37.90%

Stock_Compensation_Plan_Additi

Stock Compensation Plan - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 29, 2015
Time Based Stock Options
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Unrecognized compensation costs	$3
Period of recognition	2 years
2011 Equity Incentive Plan
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Number of additional shares available for grant	1,159
2011 Equity Incentive Plan | Maximum
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Number of shares available for issuance	13,636
2011 Equity Incentive Plan | Maximum | Stock Option
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Term of option	10 years

Stock_Option_Activity_Detail

Stock Option Activity (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 29, 2015	Dec. 28, 2014
Number of shares
Balance as of December 28, 2014	12,421
Granted	0
Exercised	0
Repurchased	0
Forfeited	-19
Expired	0
Balance as of March 29, 2015	12,402	12,421
Exercisable as of March 29, 2015	5,323
Weighted average exercise price
Balance as of December 28, 2014	$1,350
Granted	$0
Exercised	$0
Repurchased	$0
Forfeited	$727
Expired	$0
Balance as of March 29, 2015	$1,351	$1,350
Exercisable as of March 29, 2015	$834
Weighted average remaining contractual term
Option Outstanding Weighted Average Remaining Term	7 years 7 months 6 days	7 years 9 months 18 days
Options Exercisable Weighted Average Remaining Term	7 years 2 months 12 days
Aggregate intrinsic value
Balance as of December 28, 2014	$28,349
Balance as of March 29, 2015	67,847	28,349
Exercisable as of March 29, 2015	$31,873

Related_Party_Transactions_Add

Related Party Transactions - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 29, 2015	Mar. 30, 2014	Dec. 28, 2014
Advent International Corporation
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Total expenses incurred to related party	$13,000	$22,000
Accounts payable due to related party	0		0
Panthers Football LLC
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Total expenses incurred to related party	100,000	100,000
Cajun Jacks LLC
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Gross accounts receivable due from related party	9,000		9,000
Royalty revenue from related party	23,000	21,000
New Generation Foods LLC
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Gross accounts receivable due from related party	58,000		45,000
Royalty revenue from related party	100,000	100,000
Franchise fee revenue from related party	35,000	0
New Generation Foods LLC | Maximum | From January 29, 2014 through July 31, 2015
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Advertising expenditures percentage on sales	1.00%
New Generation Foods LLC | Advertising Expenditures
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Total payment made to related party	31,000	19,000
Tri Arc Food Systems Inc
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Gross accounts receivable due from related party	400,000		400,000
Royalty revenue from related party	1,200,000	1,100,000
Franchise fee revenue from related party	13,000	13,000
Tri Arc Food Systems Inc | Marketing Costs
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Total payment made to related party	18,000	18,000
JZF Properties LLC
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Total rent payments to related party	47,000	62,000
MAR Real Estate LLC
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Total rent payments to related party	$41,000	$74,000

Subsequent_Events_Additional_I

Subsequent Events - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	0 Months Ended
In Millions, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 29, 2015	Dec. 28, 2014	Jun. 11, 2015
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Expenses related to IPO including the previously deferred initial public offering costs	$2.70	$0.20
Subsequent Event
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Stock split of common stock			359.03843
Series A preferred stock converted into common stock			35,903,836
Shares issued, price per share			$19
Expenses related to IPO including the previously deferred initial public offering costs			$5
Subsequent Event | Amended and Restated 2011 Equity Incentive Plan | Maximum
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Number of shares available for issuance			8,500,000

Computation_of_Pro_Forma_Basic

Computation of Pro Forma Basic and Diluted Net Income Per Share (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 29, 2015	Mar. 30, 2014
Components Of Basic And Diluted Earning Per Share [Line Items]
Net income	$3,438	$4,985
Weighted average number of common shares assumed from the conversion of Series A Preferred Stock after giving effect to the stock split	35,903,836	35,903,836
Weighted average dilutive effect of stock options after giving effect to the stock split	0	0
Pro forma weighted average number of common shares used to calculate pro forma net income per share	35,903,836	35,903,836
Pro forma net income per share	$0.10	$0.14
Net income	$3,438	$4,985
Weighted average number of common shares assumed from the conversion of Series A Preferred Stock after giving effect to the stock split	35,903,836	35,903,836
Weighted average dilutive effect of stock options after giving effect to the stock split	1,470,785	1,088,521
Pro forma weighted average number of common shares used to calculate pro forma net income per share	37,374,621	36,992,357
Pro forma net income per share	$0.09	$0.13