Fast Casual Nation

Biscuit Belly CEO reveals practical survival kit for founders

What does it take for an emerging restaurant brand to scale without losing its identity? On this episode of Fast Casual Nation, hosts Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler sit down with Chad Coulter, founder and CEO of Biscuit Belly, for a practical survival kit for founders.

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October 7, 2026

Coulter shares his unlikely path from pharmacist to paint-and-sip studios to a five-unit wine bar restaurant concept, and the hard lesson that simplicity is what makes a brand scalable. He then breaks down Biscuit Belly's acquisition of Maple Street Biscuit Company from Cracker Barrel: why the real estate made sense, how five-week conversions beat multi-year ground-up builds, how the deal was funded, and what he thinks went wrong at Maple Street. He also covers working alongside his wife, the "founders hire founders" principle, his first three hires if he were starting over, and how he balances value and premium in a K-shaped economy.

If you're building, buying, or converting a restaurant brand, this one is for you. Subscribe to Fast Casual Nation so you never miss an episode, and let us know in the comments: what's the best lesson you've learned scaling a brand?