Bojangles launches watermelon sweet tea for Summer 2025 with free giveaway

Bojangles launches Watermelon Sweet Tea for a limited time. Find out how to get your free tea and why it's a summer must-try for golf fans and tea lovers.

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What Is Bojangles’ Watermelon Sweet Tea and Why Is It a Summer Highlight?

Southern fast-food chain has kicked off the summer season with a fruity twist on one of its most iconic offerings: iced tea. The new Watermelon Sweet Tea is a limited-time seasonal beverage that blends Bojangles’ signature Legendary Iced Tea®—brewed traditionally—with real watermelon juice. This refreshingly sweet drink is now available at participating Bojangles locations and is positioned as the brand’s main summer drink special for 2025.

The Watermelon Sweet Tea marks a significant menu innovation for the brand, which is known for its bold, Southern-style fare. Rather than launching a new food item, Bojangles has chosen to leverage the growing consumer demand for unique and refreshing beverage options. In doing so, it aims to maintain momentum in the highly competitive quick-service restaurant (QSR) space during the warmer months, when cold drinks often drive customer visits.

Bojangles Launches Watermelon Sweet Tea Nationwide with Free Giveaway to Celebrate PGA Championship and Summer Season
Bojangles Launches Watermelon Sweet Tea Nationwide with Free Giveaway to Celebrate PGA Championship and Summer Season. Photo courtesy of Bojangles, Inc./Business Wire, Inc.

When Can Customers Get the Watermelon Sweet Tea for Free?

In conjunction with the PGA Championship, one of golf’s premier annual events, Bojangles is offering customers across its footprint a chance to try the Watermelon Sweet Tea at no cost. From May 15 to May 22, customers can receive a free Watermelon Sweet Tea by using the promo code TEATIME at checkout in participating stores.

This promotional campaign directly aligns with the brand’s local roots in , North Carolina, which is also the host city for the PGA Championship this year. By tying in the release of its new beverage to a nationally recognized sporting event that also has local significance, Bojangles is deepening its regional brand identity while leveraging nationwide attention.

The strategy reflects a broader industry trend where QSR chains increasingly use live events and pop culture moments to drive foot traffic and online engagement. For Bojangles, which competes in a crowded field of chicken and biscuit chains, the Watermelon Sweet Tea activation offers both a product differentiator and a community engagement opportunity.

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What Happened at Bojangles’ Charlotte Launch Event?

To commemorate the debut of Watermelon Sweet Tea, Bojangles hosted a “Tea Time” launch event in Charlotte, blending golf-themed festivities with product sampling. The event featured games, branded giveaways, and complimentary beverages. PGA TOUR golfer —a North Carolina native—made an appearance for a meet-and-greet, helping connect the product to the broader golf celebration in town.

The Charlotte event served both as a product activation and a grassroots marketing campaign, reinforcing the brand’s community-first ethos. These types of regional events allow Bojangles to create buzz while staying true to its roots as a Carolina-born chain. This localized strategy has historically supported Bojangles’ brand equity, especially in its core southeastern markets.

How Does This Fit into Bojangles’ Broader Menu Strategy?

Bojangles has built a reputation on offering scratch-made biscuits, fried chicken, and Southern breakfast items. While the chain continues to lead with its food menu, it has increasingly paid attention to beverage innovation. The Watermelon Sweet Tea is part of a series of seasonal and limited-time drink offerings that allow Bojangles to maintain menu freshness without overhauling core kitchen operations.

Marshall Scarborough, Vice President of Menu & Culinary Innovation at Bojangles, noted that the company wanted to give its fans something new while retaining the signature experience. He explained that the tea was designed to “blend refreshing watermelon juice with our tea for a light and fresh taste,” while keeping the Southern charm of the company’s beverage line intact.

This balance of innovation and familiarity is a key part of how Bojangles maintains menu relevance without alienating its loyal customer base. Seasonal items like Bo-Berry Cookies and Sausage Bo-Berry Biscuits have previously served this role on the food side. The Watermelon Sweet Tea extends that seasonal strategy into beverages.

Can Customers Get the Tea via Delivery and Mobile Ordering?

Recognizing the importance of convenience in today’s QSR environment, Bojangles has also made the Watermelon Sweet Tea available for pickup and delivery via its mobile app. Customers looking to avoid in-store visits can place orders digitally and still redeem the TEATIME promo code at participating locations.

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This multi-channel availability reflects the brand’s ongoing digital transformation efforts. Like many of its peers in the fast-food space, Bojangles has invested in app-based ordering, loyalty programs, and delivery partnerships to adapt to post-pandemic consumer preferences. Offering limited-time products through digital channels ensures that seasonal rollouts like the Watermelon Sweet Tea reach the broadest possible audience, particularly younger customers accustomed to mobile-first experiences.

Why Is Beverage Innovation Critical in the QSR Sector?

The introduction of specialty drinks like Watermelon Sweet Tea is not just a one-off promotion—it’s part of a broader trend across fast-food and fast-casual chains. Beverage innovation allows brands to attract new customers, generate buzz on social media, and increase average order value with high-margin items.

In the U.S., iced tea remains a staple across Southern QSR menus, but consumer expectations are evolving. Younger demographics are increasingly seeking flavoured teas, herbal infusions, and healthier alternatives to soda. By using real watermelon juice instead of artificial flavouring, Bojangles is responding to these health-conscious shifts while staying true to its Southern beverage heritage.

Seasonal flavours also allow chains to create scarcity, encouraging trial and repeat visits before the product disappears. For Bojangles, whose customer base is deeply rooted in tradition, innovations like Watermelon Sweet Tea must strike a careful balance between novelty and nostalgia.

How Is Bojangles Positioning Itself for Growth?

Founded in 1977 in Charlotte, Bojangles has grown into a well-known regional powerhouse with over 800 restaurants across 18 states. While much of its historical expansion has been concentrated in the American South, recent years have seen the brand experimenting with new formats, including drive-thru-only concepts and co-branded locations.

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The company has also emphasized breakfast as a daypart driver, an area where beverage offerings can significantly influence purchase decisions. With competitors like Chick-fil-A, Popeyes, and Raising Cane’s also intensifying their marketing campaigns, Bojangles’ ability to differentiate through flavour, authenticity, and limited-time offerings remains crucial.

Industry observers note that while Bojangles has not yet pursued national scale on par with larger QSR brands, its focus on regional strength and product integrity gives it an edge in customer loyalty. The Watermelon Sweet Tea initiative, though seemingly small in scope, represents a strategic touchpoint in a larger effort to enhance brand affinity during peak seasonal windows.

What’s Next for Bojangles’ Summer Campaign?

Following the success of this launch, Bojangles may consider expanding its seasonal beverage strategy further. Market testing of other fruit-infused teas or reintroducing past favourites could help maintain interest and create recurring summer rituals among fans. The strong association with the PGA Championship and the “TEATIME” branding could also evolve into an annual summer tradition, potentially giving Bojangles a competitive edge during key sporting events.

By aligning product innovation with cultural moments, Bojangles is signaling that it can compete not just on flavour and price, but on brand experience as well. As the QSR space grows increasingly saturated, such tactical integrations may prove vital for future differentiation.


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