Biscuit Belly buys Maple Street to triple its footprint
What's the deal? Louisville, Kentucky-based brunch concept Biscuit BellyDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has acquired Maple Street Biscuit Company from Cracker BarrelDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. Terms were not disclosed.
Why now? The deal adds 34 Maple Street locations to Biscuit Belly's 15, more than tripling its footprint. Founder and chief executive officer Chad Coulter said two big headwinds for growing brands are the time to build locations and the difficulty of finding good teams — both problems Maple Street solves.
What's the endgame? Biscuit Belly is targeting more than 60 restaurants by the end of 2028. Chad and Lauren Coulter opened the first location in 2019, later setting a 10-year goal to become the largest gourmet biscuit brand in the US.
"When we looked at Maple Street's geography, footprints, and established teams, a light bulb went off," Coulter said in a statement.
What changes? The 34 Maple Street locations will convert to the Biscuit Belly brand over the next 18 to 24 months, starting in the Cincinnati and Richmond, Virginia, markets. Converted restaurants will feature Biscuit Belly's menu, including Bonuts, breakfast tots, fried green tomatoes, and pancake corndogs.
Who are the players? Nashville-based Maple Street specializes in scratch-made buttermilk biscuits, fried chicken, specialty coffee, and Southern comfort food, opening in Jacksonville, Florida, in 2012. Cracker Barrel bought it for $36 million in 2019, growing it to nearly 60 locations by 2023.
By the numbers: Biscuit Belly finished 2025 with $21.4 million in sales, according to Technomic data.
The signal: The deal shows how smaller restaurant brands can scale through acquisition rather than slow organic buildout, absorbing an established rival's real estate and staff in one move. For Cracker Barrel, offloading Maple Street trims a concept it had steadily expanded but is now stepping back from.
Image credit: Shreveport-Bossier: Louisiana's Other Side
