More than 60 years ago Burney Jennings’ father, Maurice, had a choice: He could have the family farm or his mother’s closely-guarded biscuit recipe. Maurice chose the biscuit recipe and grew that family secret into Biscuitville, a 70-location restaurant that has become one of the most popular fast food franchises in the south.
In his Forktales interview with Michael, Burney tells the story of that legendary inheritance and reveals the one-word key to a good biscuit. Here’s a look at four questions from that episode. Check out the full interview with Burney here.
WHAT’S THE KEY TO A GOOD BISCUIT?
The key to a good biscuit is love. Growing up, my dad was fascinated with chain restaurants. He told me, “Look, we all know how to make a McDonald’s hamburger. We know the ingredients. It’s not about the McDonald’s hamburger. It’s how they do it. It’s the system they put in place. It’s the marketing. It’s the brand. It’s the people. It’s the execution.” So when we look at making a good biscuit, it’s what you do with it and how you market it. How do you make the people who are buying it feel special? That’s how you make a good biscuit.
HOW HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO COMPETE – AND WIN – AGAINST LARGER FAST FOOD COMPETITORS?
They’re all really good competitors and operators. I think we are able to differentiate ourselves in the breakfast space because we close at 2pm 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.
BISCUITVILLE IS KNOWN FOR GOING AGAINST CERTAIN INDUSTRY TRENDS, LIKE NOT USING THIRD-PARTY DELIVERY SERVICES. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE THINKING BEHIND THAT?
There are several reasons. First, our food, like biscuits, is best eaten fresh. We’re open from 5:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and we do a lot of business in a short time. Fitting delivery orders into that busy period, especially on weekends, can be tough. It’s also about maintaining the quality of the product. While I like the delivery services and use them myself, it’s not something that fits our brand right now. We’re working on solutions, but it’s not top of mind at the moment.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR BISCUITVILLE?
Our growth focus is on new markets, especially South Carolina, where we’re expanding. We hope to get into Georgia one day, but that’s probably five or six years down the road. We’re a slow-growth company, but that approach works for us.
