A wave of signed leases and upcoming openings has positioned Biscuit Belly to hit the 20-restaurant mark in 2026 – making now the right moment for continued expansion.
Louisville, KY (RestaurantNews.com) Biscuit Belly, the fast-growing brunch franchise known for its scratch-made biscuits and Southern hospitality, is closing out 2025 with enough signed deals and planned openings to put the brand within reach of 20 operating restaurants by the end of 2026. After signing six leases this year and opening one new location in Summerville, South Carolina, the brand enters the new year with one of the strongest growth outlooks in its history.
“We’re at 13 locations now, and we’re confident we’ll hit that 20-location market by the end of next year,” said CEO Chad Coulter. “We’re bringing on additional team members to help get us there because we know it’s there – and we have to execute at a high level.”
Throughout 2025, Biscuit Belly focused heavily on building a robust development foundation and aligning new real estate opportunities for the year ahead. The brand’s lease activity this year includes sites across North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Texas and Ohio, which will expand Biscuit Belly’s presence from six states to nine once they open. Two of the most anticipated locations are in Columbus, Ohio, and Houston, Texas.
“The Columbus location will open in the Grandview neighborhood, fairly close to Ohio State’s campus,” Coulter said. “Because of this location, competition for the space was fierce. There were 9 LOIs on the space in the first week, but after talking with the Landlord, she really liked the concept and chose us to move forward. We are working with some branding experts to make this location really pop, as we want it to be our flagship store in the market.”
Franchise development also saw meaningful growth this year, including two new multi-unit signings – one in Houston and one across the Florida Panhandle. These groups reflect the type of operators the brand continues to attract as it scales.
“One of the groups was a multibrand, multi-unit group in concepts like Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon,” Coulter said. “They’re very hands-on operators. The individual out in Houston has a ton of retail experience and is building the team around her that’ll really make her successful.”
Biscuit Belly also reviewed its operating costs in 2025, updating supplier agreements and shifting to new vendors with lower prices. The company said it also reached substantial reductions in commission rates with major delivery platforms. “Even with the challenges of traffic and inflation, our store-level profitability is as strong as it’s ever been. We will continue to fine-tune the model without sacrificing quality or the integrity of the brand,” Coulter said.
Catering has continued to gain traction, now representing 10 percent or more of sales across the system and growing by large double-digit percentages over last year. The brand plans to build on that progress in 2026.
“Next year we’re bringing on a first-party catering ordering service and have hired an internal catering sales team to continue that momentum on the catering side,” Coulter said.
Looking ahead, the company is concentrating on opening the stores already in development and bringing its count to 20 locations by the end of 2026. Biscuit Belly is also working toward adding two or three more multi-unit operators and lining up at least five additional projects for 2027 in the regions where it already has support, including parts of Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio, Florida and Texas. Coulter stated that the pipeline is already shaping up very nicely beyond 2026, with a goal of between 25 and 30 locations by the end of 2027.
“We want to be smart with what we’re doing,” Coulter said. “We’re not just looking to open stores for the sake of unit count growth.
About Biscuit Belly
Founded in 2019 and franchising since 2020, Biscuit Belly opened its first location in Louisville, Kentucky, where it became known for its creative approach to Southern comfort food classics with a focus on large, gourmet biscuit sandwiches. With a chef-cultivated menu, the brand has paired its Southern-inspired offerings with genuine hospitality to create an upbeat, fun environment where guests can enjoy a delicious meal with family and friends. With thirteen locations currently open in Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, the brand has a goal to reach 20 open units by the end of 2026. For more information, please visit BiscuitBelly.com.
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