{"id":891005,"date":"2026-02-08T03:21:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-08T09:21:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/08\/biscuit-belly-finishes-2025-strong-and-looks-ahead-to-a-20-unit-footprint-in-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-02-08T03:21:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T09:21:08","slug":"biscuit-belly-finishes-2025-strong-and-looks-ahead-to-a-20-unit-footprint-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/08\/biscuit-belly-finishes-2025-strong-and-looks-ahead-to-a-20-unit-footprint-in-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Biscuit Belly Finishes 2025 Strong and Looks Ahead to a 20-Unit Footprint in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<article id=\"post-222124\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\">\n<div id=\"tps_slideContainer_222124\" itemprop=\"articleBody\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.restaurantnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Biscuit-Belly-2025-Growth-Recap-2026-Expansion-Plans.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Biscuit Belly Finishes 2025 Strong and Looks Ahead to a 20-Unit Footprint in 2026\" src=\"https:\/\/www.restaurantnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Biscuit-Belly-2025-Growth-Recap-2026-Expansion-Plans.jpg\" alt=\"Biscuit Belly Finishes 2025 Strong and Looks Ahead to a 20-Unit Footprint in 2026\" width=\"722\" height=\"481\"  ><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>A wave of signed leases and upcoming openings has positioned Biscuit Belly to hit the 20-restaurant mark in 2026 \u2013 making now the right moment for continued expansion.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.restaurantnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Biscuit-Belly-2025-Growth-Recap-2026-Expansion-Plans.gif\" alt=\"Biscuit Belly Finishes 2025 Strong and Looks Ahead to a 20-Unit Footprint in 2026\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\">Louisville, KY\u00a0 (<a title=\"RestaurantNews.com\" href=\"https:\/\/www.restaurantnews.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>RestaurantNews.com<\/u><\/a>)\u00a0 <a title=\"Biscuit Belly\" href=\"https:\/\/biscuitbellyfranchise.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"><strong><u>Biscuit Belly<\/u><\/strong><\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re at 13 locations now, and we\u2019re confident we\u2019ll hit that 20-location market by the end of next year,\u201d said CEO <u><a title=\"Chad Coulter\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/chad-coulter-4663465b\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"><strong>Chad Coulter<\/strong><\/a><\/u>. \u201cWe\u2019re bringing on additional team members to help get us there because we know it\u2019s there \u2013 and we have to execute at a high level.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Throughout 2025,\u00a0<u><a title=\"Biscuit Belly\" href=\"https:\/\/1851franchise.com\/biscuit-belly\/info\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"><strong>Biscuit Belly<\/strong><\/a><\/u> focused heavily on building a robust development foundation and aligning new real estate opportunities for the year ahead. The brand\u2019s lease activity this year includes sites across North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Texas and Ohio, which will expand Biscuit Belly\u2019s presence from six states to nine once they open. Two of the most anticipated locations are in Columbus, Ohio, and Houston, Texas.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Columbus location will open in the Grandview neighborhood, fairly close to Ohio State\u2019s campus,\u201d Coulter said. \u201cBecause 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Franchise development also saw meaningful growth this year, including two new multi-unit signings \u2013 one in Houston and one across the Florida Panhandle. These groups reflect the type of operators the brand continues to attract as it scales.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of the groups was a multibrand, multi-unit group in concepts like Auntie Anne\u2019s and Cinnabon,\u201d Coulter said. \u201cThey\u2019re very hands-on operators. The individual out in Houston has a ton of retail experience and is building the team around her that\u2019ll really make her successful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>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. \u201cEven with the challenges of traffic and inflation, our store-level profitability is as strong as it\u2019s ever been. We will continue to fine-tune the model without sacrificing quality or the integrity of the brand,\u201d Coulter said.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNext year we\u2019re bringing on a first-party catering ordering service and have hired an internal catering sales team to continue that momentum on the catering side,\u201d Coulter said.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe want to be smart with what we\u2019re doing,\u201d Coulter said. \u201cWe\u2019re not just looking to open stores for the sake of unit count growth.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.restaurantnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Biscuit-Belly-2025-Growth-Recap-2026-Expansion-Plans-2.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Biscuit Belly Finishes 2025 Strong and Looks Ahead to a 20-Unit Footprint in 2026\" src=\"https:\/\/www.restaurantnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Biscuit-Belly-2025-Growth-Recap-2026-Expansion-Plans-2.jpg\" alt=\"Biscuit Belly Finishes 2025 Strong and Looks Ahead to a 20-Unit Footprint in 2026\" width=\"722\" height=\"481\"  ><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>About Biscuit Belly<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>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 <a title=\"BiscuitBelly.com\" href=\"https:\/\/biscuitbelly.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"><strong><u>BiscuitBelly.com<\/u><\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Contact:<br \/><\/strong>Chad Cohen<br \/><a title=\"Mainland\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hellomainland.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"><u>Mainland<\/u><\/a><br \/>786-417-5769<br \/><span \n                data-original-string='5MCktZGHaRdSMdyZWWG5vw==7f4i5aHyOTHcBM9cAz+GEFaJB+MD4K53\/NfGwFmCH64puY='\n                class='apbct-email-encoder'\n                title='This contact has been encoded by Anti-Spam by CleanTalk. Click to decode. To finish the decoding make sure that JavaScript is enabled in your browser.'>cc<span class=\"apbct-blur\">****<\/span>@<span class=\"apbct-blur\">***********<\/span>nd.com<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.restaurantnews.com\/biscuit-belly-2025-growth-recap-2026-expansion-plans-010626\/\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A wave of signed leases and upcoming openings has positioned Biscuit Belly to hit the 20-restaurant mark in 2026 \u2013 making now the right moment for continued expansion. Louisville, KY\u00a0 ( RestaurantNews.com )\u00a0 Biscuit Belly , the fast-growing brunch franchise known for its scratch-made biscuits and Southern hospitality, is closing out 2025 with enough signed<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":891006,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2975,95301],"tags":[11048,118472],"class_list":{"0":"post-891005","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-belly","8":"category-biscuit","9":"tag-belly","10":"tag-biscuit"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/891005","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=891005"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/891005\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/891006"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=891005"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=891005"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=891005"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}