New breakfast chain Biscuit Belly to replace Maple Street Biscuit Company in downtown St. Pete
/Maple street Biscuit company’s st. pete location at 662 central avenue | maple street biscuit company
Maple Street Biscuit Company in downtown St. Pete will soon become a new breakfast and brunch destination following a change in ownership.
Parent company Cracker Barrel announced Tuesday that it has sold Maple Street Biscuit Company to Louisville, Kentucky-based breakfast chain Biscuit Belly. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
As part of the acquisition, 16 Maple Street locations will close while Biscuit Belly will assume ownership of the remaining 35, including the restaurant at 662 Central Avenue in downtown St. Pete.
The acquired locations will be renovated and rebranded as Biscuit Belly restaurants over the next 18 to 24 months, with the first conversions expected later this year. The St. Pete restaurant is expected to rebrand in the first quarter of 2027. The deal will more than triple Biscuit Belly's footprint, bringing the chain to roughly 60 locations.
The Goat biscuit sandwich with buttermilk Fried Chicken, Sweet Pepper Jelly, and Goat Cheese | biscuit belly
"Acquiring an iconic brand like Maple Street, one of the original gourmet biscuit sandwich concepts, was not on my 2026 bingo card," said Chad Coulter, co-founder and CEO of Biscuit Belly.
"Two of the biggest headwinds growing brands encounter are the time required to find and build locations, and the difficulty of finding great teams," Coulter said. "When we looked at Maple Street's geography, footprints and established teams, a light bulb went off."
Maple Street Biscuit Company has operated in St. Pete since 2018, one year before Cracker Barrel acquired the Jacksonville-founded chain for $36 million.
When the transition is complete, customers can expect a new look, updated branding, and an entirely different menu.
Chad and Lauren Coulter, founders of Biscut Belly, along with their son | Biscut Belly
Founded in 2019 by former pharmacists Chad and Lauren Coulter, Biscuit Belly was created to bridge the gap between quick-service breakfast restaurants and traditional sit-down brunch spots. The company began franchising in 2020.
"Our food is prepared from scratch every single day with a menu designed by a classically trained Southern chef," the company says on its website. "We took Southern classics and made them better."
Like Maple Street, Biscuit Belly centers its menu around fresh-baked biscuits, but with a broader brunch focus.
Signature sandwiches include the Mama's Boy, topped with buttermilk fried chicken, roasted jalapeño pimento cheese, spicy belly pickles, and fried green tomato, and the Biscuit Bennie, featuring smoked brisket, poached eggs, smoked Gouda mornay, roasted tomatoes, and poblano tomato sauce.
The interor of a biscuit belly restaurant, which features table and booth seating | biscuit belly
The menu also includes breakfast platters, omelets, wraps, sandwiches, salads, cheesy grits, loaded tots, and shareable favorites like Bonuts, biscuit doughnut holes, and Pancake Corndogs, sausage links dipped in pancake batter and served with maple mayo.
In addition to coffee drinks, cold brew, chai, and house-made sodas, Biscuit Belly serves a full brunch cocktail menu featuring espresso martinis, Bloody Marys, mimosas, and specialty espresso beverages like the Praline Mocha and The Buckeye.
Once rebranded, the downtown St. Pete location is expected to operate daily from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., with extended weekend hours until 3 p.m. The restaurant will offer dine-in, takeout, and delivery.
