Biscuit Belly has locked in opening dates for its first two Tri-State locations, with the Louisville-based brunch chain set to open in Florence, Kentucky on September 1 and in Deerfield Township, Ohio on September 15. Both storefronts are moving into spaces that formerly housed Maple Street Biscuit Co. restaurants, part of a rapid conversion strategy the company is using to expand across the region.
The Florence location will sit at 6785 Houston Road, while the Deerfield Township spot lands at 9333 Mason Montgomery Road, according to WKRC. Biscuit Belly describes itself as a Southern-style brunch concept built around scratch-made biscuits, and its menu includes biscuit sandwiches, chicken and waffles, French toast, pancakes, lunch options, coffee and breakfast cocktails, per the station's report.
The two openings are the leading edge of a much larger corporate deal. In July, Biscuit Belly acquired 35 select Maple Street Biscuit Company locations and brand assets from Cracker Barrel, which had originally purchased the Maple Street chain for $36 million back in 2019, according to Restaurant Dive. Cracker Barrel divested the brand to sharpen its focus on its namesake restaurants and reduce debt, the outlet reported.
Why Cincinnati Was Picked to Go First
The Greater Cincinnati locations in Florence and Deerfield Township were chosen to lead Biscuit Belly's national store-conversion rollout, serving as the first wave alongside a Richmond, Virginia market, per FastCasual.com. Converting former Maple Street sites reportedly requires only cosmetic refreshes, updated exterior signage and minor kitchen equipment changes, since the two chains share nearly identical store layouts, the trade publication notes. That similarity is what allows Biscuit Belly to open storefronts within weeks rather than pursuing lengthy ground-up construction.
The Deerfield Township site at 9329 Mason Montgomery Road previously housed a DiBella's Subs before Maple Street Biscuit Co. signed a lease and opened in the 3,500-square-foot space in 2024, according to WhatNow. The property includes dedicated outdoor patio space along a high-traffic retail corridor in Warren County.
A Corporate Shakeup Behind the Local Debuts
The 35-unit sale to Biscuit Belly came alongside Cracker Barrel permanently closing 16 underperforming Maple Street locations across its national footprint, Inc. reports, absorbing tens of millions in non-cash charges as part of the divestiture. The deal is projected to more than triple Biscuit Belly's store count, from 15 locations in mid-2026 to more than 60 units by the end of 2028, according to a PR Newswire release announcing the acquisition.
Biscuit Belly was founded in Louisville in 2019 by husband-and-wife team Chad and Lauren Coulter, former pharmacists who previously built the LouVino wine bar concept, according to 1851 Franchise. The chain began franchising in 2020 after early success in its hometown. It finished 2025 with $21.4 million in sales across 15 locations while running a single-shift model that closes doors in the early afternoon, a structure that helps lower labor overhead, per EMERGING Concepts.
What's on the Menu
Beyond the biscuit sandwiches and chicken and waffles already known to Tri-State diners, Biscuit Belly's broader menu features proprietary items like Bonuts — biscuit doughnut holes dusted in cinnamon sugar with bourbon cream cheese frosting or berry jam — along with pancake corndogs and fried green tomatoes, EMERGING Concepts reports. The chef-driven Southern comfort dishes form the core of the brand's fast-casual brunch identity as it works to distinguish itself from its Maple Street predecessor.
Florence and Deerfield Township aren't Biscuit Belly's only Ohio move. The chain filed permits for a Grandview Heights spot earlier this year, marking its first move into the state ahead of the Maple Street acquisition. It remains to be seen how smoothly former Maple Street staff transition to the new ownership, and whether customer reception in Northern Kentucky and Warren County matches the brand's early momentum in Louisville.
