Cracker Barrel sold Maple Street Biscuit Company to Biscuit Belly on July 20, 2026, ending a relationship that lasted just under seven years. The sale will close 16 locations while transferring 35 others to the new owner, marking another chapter in the restaurant chain’s tumultuous corporate journey.
The story of Maple Street begins in December 2012 in Jacksonville’s San Marco neighborhood, where Scott Moore and Gus Evans opened their first location. Moore, whose job as a VP at Winn-Dixie was eliminated that same year, decided to start something of his own with Evans. What began as a single restaurant offering 15 signature biscuit sandwiches grew into a regional favorite, expanding to 33 locations by the time Cracker Barrel noticed.
In October 2019, Cracker Barrel acquired Maple Street for $36 million in an all-cash transaction. At that time, the chain operated 28 company-owned locations and five franchised locations across seven states. The acquisition seemed like a natural fit for Cracker Barrel’s growing portfolio. The large restaurant corporation believed Maple Street’s appeal could strengthen its brand presence.
But the financial reality told a different story. After nearly seven years of ownership, Maple Street contributed less than 2 percent of Cracker Barrel’s total annual revenue. For a corporation managing hundreds of locations, that small contribution wasn’t worth the management overhead and capital allocation. Cracker Barrel’s financial team calculated that removing the brand would actually improve the company’s adjusted earnings beginning in fiscal 2027.
Biscuit Belly, which describes itself as a “gourmet biscuit sandwich concept,” acquired the 35 Maple Street locations. The new owner plans to transition those restaurants to its own concept over the next two years. This means customers won’t see the familiar Maple Street branding, menu, or atmosphere. Instead, they’ll encounter Biscuit Belly’s identity and offerings.
For the 16 locations that close, the future is less promising. These restaurants will simply shut down, eliminating jobs and removing familiar gathering spots from their communities. Jacksonville, where Maple Street was born, faces the loss of multiple locations that had become part of the local dining landscape.
The sale reflects a broader trend in corporate restaurant management. When subsidiary brands don’t deliver strong financial performance relative to management complexity, large corporations cut them loose to improve shareholder returns. For Maple Street’s founding spirit of entrepreneurship and community-focused dining, it’s a sobering reminder of how corporate ownership can eventually undo what founders built.