Breakfast-and-Lunch Comfort-Food Franchise Adds Eight New Items
The Big Biscuit® has made crowd-pleasing additions to its menu as the breakfast-and-lunch franchise celebrates its 25th birthday. Guests at The Big Biscuit across the heartland are chowing down on new Chicken Biscuits, Chicken and Waffles, and Specialty Grits. These introductions, plus other recent newcomers – Birthday Cake Pancakes and cherry-flavored drinks – align with The Big Biscuit’s trademark of serving impossibly generous portions of classic American comfort foods with innovative twists.
“We spent 2024 testing and developing this menu, which balances sweet and spicy additions,” says Chad Offerdahl, president and co-CEO of The Big Biscuit. “This is our biggest menu innovation in years and the perfect way to celebrate our 25th birthday. Along with the new menu items, our limited-time offerings not only generate excitement among guests but also play a key role in driving traffic and a notable increase in sales.”
Offerdahl says the process of altering The Big Biscuit’s menu requires input from franchisees, operations, marketing and restaurant managers. “We review guest requests and feedback and research food trends first. Then we test recipes, trying different ingredient combinations to develop a dish that perfectly blends flavor, quality and efficiency. We’re constantly analyzing the performance of each item on our menu to determine strengths, weaknesses and future innovations.”
Menu changes also require frequent consultation with Supply Chain Manager Dan Ward for purposes of accessibility. “The menu innovation team works together to make sure items are exciting, relevant, easy to execute, cost-effective, and readily available in each of our 29 restaurants,” he says.
Eight New Items
Offerdahl shares the scoop on the newest items as follows:
- Nashville Hot Chicken Biscuit and Maple Bacon Chicken Biscuit. Both feature The Big Biscuit’s tender 24-hour brined and hand-breaded fried chicken between an oversized buttermilk biscuit and served with country grits, breakfast potatoes or hash browns. The Nashville Hot Chicken Biscuit has Nashville-hot fried chicken topped with dill pickles and trickles of honey. The Maple Bacon Chicken Biscuit is drizzled with warm syrup, plus, obviously, bacon and chicken.
- Strawberry Shortcake Chicken & Waffles, Nashville Hot Chicken & Waffles, and Maple Bacon Chicken & Waffles. Belgian waffles offer the franchise’s hand-breaded fried chicken with respective sweet and savory accompaniments of strawberries, whipped cream, and powdered sugar; dill pickles and honey and crispy bacon and syrup.
- Loaded Country Grits, topped with onions, green peppers, and cheddar cheese; City Grits, topped with bacon, onion and tomatoes; and Cowboy Grits, topped with chorizo, jalapeno, onion and tomatoes. Plain grits are also available. “Our guests love our grits, and the new grits are inspired by bold, new flavors that appeal to a wider range of our guests. They’re a fun way for guests to enjoy a traditional breakfast with an added twist,” Offerdahl says.
Beverage Innovations
Recently introduced beverages complement the new foods. Creative thirst quenchers are the Cranberry Sunrise, a sweet and tart blend of cranberry and orange juices; The Shirley, lemon-lime soda plus cherry; Cherry Berry Lemonade; Cherry Vanilla Cream Pepsi; and Cherry Vanilla Cream Dr Pepper.
“Drink introductions are carefully developed. We begin by identifying beverage trends and whether they fit our brand,” Offerdahl says. “We do product testing to figure out which ones we should offer. We also have a new ‘build-your-own’ drink section. Now guests can customize their beverages by adding strawberry puree, coconut cream, cold foam, cherry, peach, and raspberry in any combination they crave,” says Offerdahl.
About The Big Biscuit Franchise
Marita Swift, the franchise’s vice president of strategic growth, says The Big Biscuit “studies industry trends to understand what guests are craving. Menu innovation is just one tool we use to stay relevant and add tangible value in our restaurants. Our audience is truly multi-generational, making it even that much more important to offer variety. There is something for everyone here,” says Swift.
Menu innovation isn’t the only focus, Offerdahl says. The Big Biscuit’s 25 years of success are due to “the genuine hometown hospitality we consistently deliver to our guests and our restaurant teams. We aren’t afraid to take that hospitality beyond the table and show our deep commitment to the communities we serve through local partnerships focused on three pillars: food insecurity, public education, and community. Our company’s core values reinforce the connections that keep The Big Biscuit top of mind and keep our guests coming back.”
Hailed as a Top Breakout Brand by Franchise Times, The Big Biscuit has 29 locations in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.
For more information about franchise opportunities with The Big Biscuit, visit the brand’s website.
