Why Biscuitville Closes At 2PM (And Why It Works)

Businesses in the U.S. tend to approach the market with a "more is more" mentality, seeking to cover as much ground as possible. You see it when you sit down to a meal and are presented with a dictionary-sized menu — a big restaurant red flag — and it also shows up as eateries staying open all day and night to ensure that they don't miss a potential customer. This is not the case for Biscuitville. This regional fast food chain understands that sometimes the best business tactic is focus. For Biscuitville, that means a tight menu centered around its signature biscuits, and closing up shop for the day each afternoon.

Burney Jennings, the executive chairman of Biscuitville explained the choice on the Forktales podcast as such, "I think we are able to differentiate ourselves in the breakfast space because we close at 2 p.m. every day. People know breakfast is our focus. And I think when you have that type of focus, it does put you in a better position to compete." Plenty of other fast food restaurants out there offer a breakfast menu, but Biscuitville's singular focus on breakfast and lunch allows them to provide a strong menu without too much clutter. And you can always be sure that the biscuits are coming out fresh, thanks not only to the restaurant chain's commitment to limited hours each day, but also to the "biscuit windows" in each location, where diners can watch fresh biscuits being made from scratch every 15 minutes.

The biscuit window on its own already sets this North Carolina-based fast food chain apart from competitors that also sling the state's most iconic breakfast, but it is really the mentality that makes it special. When asked the secret to making a good biscuit, Jennings has a simple answer: love. But he has also shares that the customer experience is just as important to the brand's model as the product itself. "How do you make the people who are buying it feel special?" he asks, "That's how you make a good biscuit."

Clearly, Biscuitville's focus on quality food and good customer service has worked. The company was ranked in the number one spot for best fast food breakfast and the number two spot for overall best regional fast food chain by the USA Today 10 Best polls. With perhaps slightly less glamour, you will also find Biscuitville on our list of the best restaurants in North Carolina for biscuits and gravy.

The one downside to Biscuitville is that most of the country doesn't have the opportunity to swing by in the morning for a country ham or fried steak, egg, and cheese biscuit. Again, this can be put down to the brand's focus. Currently, you can only find Biscuitville restaurants in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia, and this is likely because of the emphasis on quality local ingredients. The brand prefers to work with nearby family-owned farms, sourcing its eggs and wheat from North Carolina, and its chicken from just down the road in Georgia. Even in the world of fast food, sometimes less is more, and Biscuitville is a shining example of the success that can be found with that mantra.