Maple Street Biscuit

Delivered November 25th, 2019. Contributors: Emma H., Anna G., Alexandra Y., Josh T., Shannon L., Erin J., Orendo M., Philip R. and

Part

of eleven

Part

Maple Street Biscuits - Company Overview

Maple Street Biscuits was founded in Jacksonville, Florida in 2012. The restaurant was featured on Food Network’s “Guilty Pleasures”. The company is committed to the communities it serves.
Maple Street BiscuitsHistoryMaple Street Biscuits was founded by Scott Moore and Gus Evans
 in 2012. The first location, and the company's headquarters are in Jacksonville, Florida.
The company was built around community creating comfort food with a twist. The restaurant was featured on Food Network’s “Guilty Pleasures” for its Squack and Goat biscuit.
In October 2019, Maple Street Biscuits was acquired by Cracker Barrel
 for $36 million in cash.
GrowthThe brand uses community involvement to grow its brand. By listening to its customers the company has figured out where to open new locations.
The company listened to visitors of the Murray Hill and San Marco locations and discovered that customers were making a 40-mile trip just to eat at the restaurant, they opened a new location closer based on this information.
From the beginning, Maple Street Biscuits has integrated into the community and been involved in local events. The managers at each location are locals with ties to the community.
Hiring is done via recommendations only. This has ensured the brand has had very low turnover, and great customer service.
Cracker Barrel is planning to continuing growing the brand, turning its Holler & Dash into Maple Street Biscuit locations.
LocationsMaple Street Biscuits has locations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. They currently have twenty-eight owner operated locations, and five franchise units.
ProductsThe Maple Street Biscuit menu includes biscuits, fried chicken, sandwiches, eggs, biscuits and gravy, waffles, and breakfast bowls.
The online store stocks coffee, t-shirts, caps, and mugs. 
RevenueAs a private company, Maple Street Biscuits is not required to publicly release financial information. The company has an estimated revenue of $16.9 million.

Part

of eleven

Part

Maple Street Biscuits - Agency of Record and Creatives

While there is no information about Maple Street Biscuits' (MSB) agency of record, the company is now owned by Cracker Barrel, whose agency of record is Havas Chicago. The recent examples of MSB's creatives can be found below. 
AGENCY OF RECORD (AOR)While there is no news about Maple Street Biscuits' agency of record, in October 2019, the company was acquired for $36 million by Cracker Barrel, a popular comfort food chain. 
The last news about Cracker Barrel appointing the agency of record is from 2011, when they started working with Euro RSCG Chicago, a division of Havas, which is a worldwide agency network. 
In 2012, Euro RSCG Chicago was rebranded as Havas Chicago. 
In 2018, AdAge confirmed that Cracker Barrel is among Havas Chicago's current clients. 
Also in 2018, Cracker Barrel was running a TV spot made with Havas. 
However, it is worth noting that simultaneously, the company collaborated with Epsilon to release another, less traditional, TV spot that targeted millennials. 
Still, Cracker Barrel is currently listed on the Havas Chicago's website as one of its clients. 
Therefore, given the lack of news about the change and multiple confirmations that the company has recently worked with Havas Chicago, it can be assumed that the agency of record hasn't changed since 2011.
Also, since Maple Street Biscuits was acquired by Cracker Barrel and there is no information about the agency of record for MSB, it can be concluded that Havas Chicago is also responsible for MSB's marketing and advertising. 
The website for Havas Chicago can be found here. 

EXAMPLES OF CREATIVES Here is the company's Instagram post from earlier this year, which advertises the promotion, through which customers can get a free coffee if they buy a waffle. 
Here is a banner from 2017, in the place where the company was converting an old Duluth Baptist Church into one of its locations. They used the slogan "Biscuits Coming This Fall." 
An example of a print ad (on the front page, in the bottom left corner), which announces that Maple Streets Biscuits is opening a new location. The photo shows the food offered by the company. 
A 2019 web poster that advertises the birthday event by Maple Street Biscuits. 

RESEARCH STRATEGYTo find the agency of record for Maple Street Biscuits, we started by searching for any relevant articles on local news sites like Tampa Bay Times or The Florida Times-Union, as well as in restaurant industry media, such as Restaurant Business Online. Our assumption was that such media are the most likely to take an interest in the company and its marketing efforts. However, there were very few mentions related to it from the last two years, and none were about MSB's advertising or marketing. The vast majority talked about the acquisition by Cracker Barrel. Even after expanding the scope beyond the 2-year timeframe, we found no relevant information. 

Next, we looked for any mentions of Maple Street Biscuits' marketing in the advertising media, such as AdAge and AdWeek, as well as on business sites, like BizJournals. We hoped that they would provide us with the name of the agency that works with them. While we found no recent articles about the company's marketing efforts, there was one source from 2015 that included tips from the company's social media specialist. The person seemed to be working directly for Maple Street Biscuits and the article didn't suggest that she had any external support.  It creates an impression that at that time, the company didn't work with any external agency. Here's the screenshot of the relevant part of the article. 

Finally, we looked for any press releases about the partnerships between Maple Street Biscuits and creative or advertising agencies. We assumed that if the company appointed an agency of record, they might have made an official announcement. However, again, the only press releases about the company are about the recent acquisition by Cracker Barrel. 

We assumed that if Cracker Barrel owns Maple Street Biscuit Company, it is possible that their agency of record is also responsible for MSB's marketing. According to our research, Cracker Barrel's AOR is Havas Chicago (our full reasoning is detailed above). While we didn't find a definite confirmation that the agency takes care of Maple Street Biscuits' advertising, it is the most probable option. 

Part

of eleven

Part

C-Suite - Maple Street Biscuits

Scott Moore and Gus Evans founded the Maple Street Biscuit Company in 2012 in Jacksonville, Florida. Below you will find an overview of the company's C-suite team and their biographies.
Scott Moore, CEO Scott Moore is the founder and CEO of Maple Street Biscuits.
He has been the CEO since the company began in November 2012.
Moore oversees the company and sits in on HR meetings with employees. He also helps certain employees become part owners of the company and run their own store.
Before starting the Maple Street Biscuit company, Moore was the Vice President of Learning and Development for Winn Dixie from 2003 to 2012.
Gus Evans, Co-Founder Gus Evans co-founded the Maple Street Biscuit company in November 2012.
He manages projects for the company.
Evans also publishes pieces on the company's blog.
Prior to founding the company, Evans was an Assistant Project Manager for Elkins Constructors from 2002 to 2012.
Christopher Sears, Co-owner Christopher Sears is the co-owner of Maple Street Biscuits.
He became a co-owner in June 2013.
Sears manages multi-level projects and helps with the company's budgeting.
Prior to become a co-owner, Sears was a sales and operations manager for A1 Stone World from 2008 to 2013.
Tara Sikes, CPO Tara Sikes is the Chief People Officer for Maple Street Biscuits.
She has worked for the company since January 2017.
Sikes is credited with creating the Human Resources team for the company. She also heads the payroll, recruiting, and performance management departments.
Prior to joining the company, Sikes was a Human Resources Business Partner at Regency Centers from 2014 to 2017.
Javier Retamar, CFO Javier Retamar is the Chief Financial Officer of Maple Street Biscuits.
He has worked for the company since January 2017.
He provides financial planning and accounting services for the company.
Prior to joining the company, Retamar was the CFO for Skeeter Snacks from 2014 to 2017.

Part

of eleven

Part

Biography - Scott Moore: Chief Executive Officer and Founder: Maple Street Biscuits

Scott Moore, the co-founder and CEO of Maple Street Biscuits, is an alumnus of Southwestern College, is married, has three adult children, has been involved with Rotary Club, and his interests include faith, reading, and coffee. Prior to co-founding Maple Street Biscuits, he worked for several years at Winn-Dixie, his role as CEO of Maple Street Biscuits is largely focused on the big picture for the company, and he previously served as an elder at his church.
Biography of Scott Moore, Co-Founder & CEO of Maple Street BiscuitsA. Personal Biography1. EducationIn 1979, Scott graduated from Blountstown High School (Florida). 
Scott is an alumnus of Southwestern College in Kansas.
At Southwestern, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Resources Development.
2. Family LifeScott has been married to his wife Robyn "for 35 years." The couple got married after his second year in college.
Scott has three adult children (two sons (Brock and Blake) and a daughter (Bethany)). 
3. Hobbies & Interests Faith is a big part of Scott's life.  
In an article, Scott listed his hobbies as "[r]eading, teaching leadership, [and] helping my daughter with her foster kids." 
Scott is interested in coffee. He's a member of a Linkedin group called Coffee Connections, which is a "group . . . for all who appreciate, love and/or need great coffee." 
Scott listed the company Dell as one of his interests on Linkedin. 
4. Charities/Social CausesScott has been involved with the Rotary Club of South Jacksonville (Florida). 
 His own company does a lot with regard to social causes. Scott described the social-cause aspect of his company in stating: "We have a mission to help people, serve others and be a part of the community. This [company] is just a vehicle to go do it." 
5. Social Media Account This link is to Scott's Linkedin. That was the only social media account we found for him. 
B. Professional Biography1. Prior Work ExperiencePrior to co-founding Maple Street Biscuits, he worked for Winn-Dixie, Inc. for just over seven years.
The first position he held at Winn-Dixie was Division Director of Human Resources (July 2002 – October 2003).
His second position with Winn-Dixie was Corporate Director of Human Resources (October 2003 – July 2005).
The third position he held at Winn-Dixie was Vice President of Operations (July 2005 – January 2011).
The fourth and most-recent position with Winn-Dixie was Vice President of Learning and Development (January 2011 – July 2012).
Before joining Winn-Dixie, Scott was a Partner at Scenic Industries, Inc. from June 2000 through July 2002.
Prior to working for Scenic Industries, Scott was the Human Resources Manager for BI-LO, LLC from 1994-2000. 
2. Current Responsibilities at Maple Street BiscuitsScott has been the CEO of Maple Street Biscuits for over seven years (since November 2012).
On his Linkedin, the sole description Scott provides about his responsibilities as CEO is "[s]erving our team members."  
Much of Scott's work as CEO involves the big picture, as he is focused on the overall vision for the company. That information came from an article that stated the following: "Their [the Maple Street Biscuits co-founders'] division of duties plays to their strengths. Evans helps to lay the path with staff toward reaching Moore’s big vision." 
Scott commented on his focus on the big picture, as the company's CEO, in stating: "I’m going to give you the big vision and I’m going to ask you to be relentless to go do something great here." 
In his role as CEO, Scott's responsibilities include finding excellent leaders to join his company.
Scott helps develop the company's franchisees with regard to starting up and operating their stores. 
Scott attends weekly performance reviews and awards raises to deserving employees at those meetings. 
Part of his job as CEO involves identifying new sites for restaurant locations.
3. Board Served OnScott previously served as an elder at his church (Community Bible Church of Orange Park). 
4. Recent News Articles This link is to a recent article about Scott.
 This link is to a second, recent article about Scott.
 This link is to a third, recent article about Scott.
Research StrategyWe began our research by reviewing Scott's Linkedin page, which provided us with detailed information about his prior work history. The remainder of the information we found resulted from numerous searches for articles that we conducted. A few of the sources we cited to in our research were National Restaurant News and Jax Daily Record (a Florida news outlet). The only social media account we found for Scott was his Linkedin. We checked to see if he has a Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, but we didn't find any matching profiles. Lastly, we identified his current job responsibilities from statements he has made about his work and from information we found about what he has been doing at the company. 

Part

of eleven

Part

Media Scan- Maple Street Biscuits

Ten unique recent news and media articles about Maple Street Biscuits that chronicles the company's issues over the past 12 months include topics such as its acquisition by Cracker Barrel, assurances that recipes and operations would not change, fundraisers, restaurant openings, and software partnerships.
Maple Street Biscuit Company, founded in Jacksonville, sold for $36 million to Cracker Barrel This article was published on October 12, 2019, in The Florida-Times Union.
Maple Street Biscuit Company was purchased by Cracker Barrel for $36 million, but Scott Moore, founder of Maple Street Biscuits, will remain chief executive officer.
Maple Street’s ‘Biscuits for the Bahamas’ sends profits to Dorian victims This article was published on September 22, 2019, by News Channel 8.
Maple Street Biscuit Company hosted "Biscuits for Bahamas," a fundraiser to help the people in the Bahamas who were affected by Hurricane Dorian. 
Cracker Barrel rebranding fast casual concept This article was published on October 13, 2019, by Fast Casual.
Cracker Barrel, which owns both Maple Street Biscuit Company and Holler & Dash Biscuit House, will be rebranding Holler & Dash Biscuit House as Maple Street Biscuit Company.
Merrifield-Based Restaurant Software Company Raises $5 Million This article was published on October 22, 2019, by Tysons Reporter.
Chief financial officer of Maple Street Biscuits, Javier Retamar, indicated the company uses MarginEdge software, which just raised $5 million in series A funding.
Maple Street CEO: New owner Cracker Barrel isn't micromanaging business This article was published on November 20, 2019, in the Jacksonville Daily Record.
 Scott Moore, CEO of Maple Street Biscuits, indicated that even though Cracker Barrel has purchased the company, there would be no changes for employees of Maple Street.
How they sold Maple Street: Behind the company's $36 million sale This article was published on October 18, 2019, in the Jacksonville Daily Record.
CEO Scott Moore details how his company, Maple Street Biscuits, ended up being acquired by Cracker Barrel by explaining the two companies' executives met more than four years before the deal happened.
Maple Street CEO Says 'Nothing Changes' With Food, People With Cracker Barrel Deal This article was published on October 14, 2019, by WJCT.
Following the acquisition of Maple Street Biscuit Company, CEO Scott Moore assures customers that its recipes will remain the same.
Maple Street Biscuit Company hosts 'Ryan's Silly Sock Day' to honor memory of team member This article was published on July 6, 2019, by Action News Jax.
The Murray Hill Maple Street Biscuit Company held "Ryan’s Silly Sock Day" to benefit the family of an employee who recently passed away.
The other new biscuit in town: Maple Street hits Mobile This article was published on September 6, 2019, by AL.com.
A new Maple Street Biscuit Company restaurant opened in Mobile, Alabama "just east of Lavretta Park in Mobile’s high-rent Spring Hill district, and in between Spring Hill College and the University of South Alabama."
Tampa Bay restaurant and bar openings: Datz in St. Petersburg, Hyde Park Village's Forbici make their anticipated arrivals This article was published on June 17, 2019, in the Tampa Bay Times.
Maple Street Biscuit Company opened a fifth restaurant in the Tampa Bay area on Bloomington Avenue.

Part

of eleven

Part

Maple Street Biscuits - Competitors

Seven true competitors to Maple Street Biscuits are Biscuitville, Mrs. Winner's, Holler & Dash, Rise, Bojangles, Huddle House and Tudor's Buscuit World. Details of each are outlined below. 
Biscuitville Biscuitville is southern breakfast restaurant. 
The menu includes a variety of dishes made with biscuits along with breakfast sandwiches and breakfast platters. 
The chain has locations in North Carolina along with Virginia. 
Mrs. Winner's Mrs. Winner's is a southern chain restaurant focused on chicken and biscuits. 
Their breakfast menu includes several biscuit-based dishes along with breakfast platters. 
They have locations in Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee. 
Holler & Dash Holler & Dash is a restaurant chain focused on biscuits. 
The menu includes biscuits, biscuit sandwiches and breakfast bowls, among other things. 
The chain has locations in Alabama, Florida, North Carolina and Tennessee. 
Rise Rise is a chain restaurant focused on biscuits and chicken. 
The menu includes multiple biscuit dishes, including biscuits and gravy and chicken and biscuits. 
They have locations in several states, including North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee. 
Bojangles Bojangles is a chain restaurant that specializes in chicken and biscuits. 
Their menu includes biscuits, biscuits and gravy and biscuit sandwiches. 
The chain has many locations in the southeastern and southern U.S., including locations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
Huddle HouseHuddle House is a chain restaurant offering a variety of breakfast, lunch and dinner foods. 
Their breakfast menu includes biscuit platters, waffles and a variety of other options. 
The chain has locations throughout the country, including locations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
Tudor's Biscuit World Tudor's Biscuit World is a southern restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. 
Their breakfast menu includes several breakfast platters featuring biscuits, including biscuits and gravy. 
Most of the restaurant's locations are in Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia, but they do have a location in Florida. 
Research StrategyIn order to identify true competitors to Maple Street Biscuit Company, we started by reviewing their website to get an idea of the chain's business model and offerings. Maple Street Business Company is a breakfast and lunch restaurant offering "comfort food with a modern twist." Menu items include biscuits and a variety of biscuit-based dishes like biscuits and gray and chicken and biscuits, waffles, and breakfast bowls, among other things. The chain has 32 locations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. Based on this information, we looked for other chains focused on breakfast comfort foods with locations in one or more of these states. 

Part

of eleven

Part

Maple Street Biscuits - Competitors: The Findings Part One

Maple Street Biscuits serves its customers in seven states and has an estimated annual revenue of $28 million while Biscuitville serves its customers in North Carolina and Virginia and has an estimated annual revenue of $91 million. A competitive landscape for Maple Street Biscuits and Biscuitville, including their competitive advantage, strengths and weaknesses, annual revenue, and locations, has been provided below.
Maple Street BiscuitsCompetitive AdvantageThe company offers an extra feature to customers in the form of online ordering. This expands customer reach and sets it apart from its competitors.
Strengths A unique catering program enables the company to take its gracious service to customers' celebrations, workplace, and meetings.etc.
Delicious and quality dishes served is one of the company's strengths. A customer said, "Great coffee and food. I'd definitely come back to check out more on the menu." Another customer said, "Wanted to give a major standing ovation to maple street today! The food is always yummy, especially the from-scratch biscuits."
Excellent customer service is another evident strength of the company as customers said, "Awesome place Great service.
 Another customer said," first time visiting and the service was phenomenal! Thanks for such a great experience."
WeaknessesThe company lacks physical presence compared to its competitors as it only has locations in seven states.
RevenuesThe company has an estimated annual total revenue of $28 million.
LocationsThe restaurant chain has locations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas.
BiscuitvilleCompetitive AdvantageBiscuitville sources its ingredients locally, which it makes for fresher, more authentic food that tastes better. Local ingredients have flavors all their own.
Biscuitville is a time-honored company as it has been in the business for more than 5 decades, since 1966.
StrengthsThe breakfast dishes with locally sourced ingredients that the company specializes in are very delicious and of the desired quality. A customer said, "Excellent breakfast with all locally sourced ingredients." Another customer said, "You ROCK! Thank you for starting my mornings off with a smile."
The company runs a "biscuit club" through which it offers coupons for promotions such as free food and special birthday treats.
WeaknessesThe company lacks an online ordering facility, and this impacts its market share because its competitors provide online ordering on their websites.
The company majorly specializes in breakfast dishes, which impacts its position in the market because its competitors specialize in breakfast, lunch, and dinner dishes.
RevenuesThe company has an estimated annual revenue of $91 million.
LocationsThe company has 57 locations in the states of Nort Carolina and Virginia.

Research StrategyThe research for Maple Street Biscuits and Biscuitville was fairly straightforward. We scoured through the companies' websites, and we were able to find the competitive advantages, locations, strengths, and weaknesses of each company. We also got customer reviews from each of the companies' Facebook pages. We were unable to find revenues for the two companies on their websites. We resorted to looking into credible media sources such as The Tennessean, Forbes, The Nashville Post, Biz Journals, and QSR Magazines, but this strategy bore no fruit. Finally, we turned to databases such as Zoominfo.com, Owler, and Crunchbase. We got estimated revenues for Maple Street Biscuits and Biscuitville through Owler and Zoominfo, respectively. The two companies are privately owned, and hence they are not mandated to provide their financial information publicly.

Part

of eleven

Part

Maple Street Biscuits - Competitors: The Findings Part Two

Mrs. Winner's serves its customers in Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee while Holler & Dash serves its customers in Alabama, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Atlanta. A competitive landscape for Mrs. Winner's and Holler & Dash, including their competitive advantage, strengths and weaknesses, annual revenue, and locations, has been provided below.

Mrs. Winner'sCompetitive AdvantageMrs. Winner's offers fried chicken with authentic southern touches and flavors making them "crunchy and delicious". This is what sets Mrs. Winner's apart from its competitors.
The company offers franchising opportunities for potential investors with a couple of incentives. 2% royalties for the first six months, which traditionally is capped at 4% and a waived advertising fee for the first six months, which traditionally is charged at 2%.
StrengthsThe company positions itself as "the home of southern hospitality" coupled with the winning recipe guests crave.
Mrs. Winner’s traditional menu serves up great-tasting products that everybody loves at an affordable price.
The company`s quick-service restaurants serve home-style menu items in a warm and friendly atmosphere.
Aside from offering Chicken and Biscuits, Mrs. Winner’s also offer catering plans for customers who plan get-together ceremonies.
WeaknessesMrs. Winner’s has a total of 14 restaurants and only has its presence in Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Compared to its competitors, the company covers a very small geographical area.
RevenuesThe company has an estimated annual revenue of  $20.5 million. 
LocationsThe company has locations in Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee

Holler & DashCompetitive AdvantageThe restaurant chain works with local partners that embrace craft, quality, sustainable production, and give the very best so the company can be the very best.
StrengthsGood quality dishes and service offered are the restaurants` main strengths as a customer said." Great "southern" style breakfast. The service was quick. Coffee was good too. The sauce for the beignets was fantastic"
A friendly and warm atmosphere created by professional staff makes the restaurant a must-go-to place for southern dishes. A customer said, "The staff were very friendly and helpful in explaining the menu. Hot Chicken on a biscuit for breakfast is amazing!"
Aside from offering delicious foods, the company also provides catering services to its customer`s events.
WeaknessesSome customers complained of having to wait for too long for food. A customer said: "the wait for food seems to have got longer." 
Revenues The company has an estimated annual revenue of $13.9 million.
LocationThe chain has a total of 5 restaurants. Two in Alabama, one in North Carolina, one in Tennessee and one in Atlanta.
Research StrategyThe research for Mrs. Winner's and Holler & Dash was fairly straightforward, as each of the companies' websites to provide information regarding their competitive advantages and locations. We then turned to credible media sources such as The Tennessean, Forbes, The Nashville Post, Biz Journals, and QSR Magazines. The aim was to find financial records of the two companies, but this strategy did not provide any information. Finally, we resorted to looking into databases such as Zoominfo.com, Owler, and Crunchbase. Through Zoominfo.com, we were able to find the estimated revenues for the companies. We later looked up various customer reviews, and we were able to find the strengths and weaknesses of the two companies. Mrs. Winner's and Holler & Dash are not mandated to make their financial records publicly available because they are privately owned.

Part

of eleven

Part

Maple Street Biscuits - Competitors: The Findings Part Three

Bojangles is an American regional chain of fast-food restaurants spanning over 12 states. Rise is a fast-food company that has an estimated revenue of $20.3 million.
RiseCompetitive AdvantageRise stands apart from its competitors through their offering of Southern buttermilk and cheddar biscuits filled with their famous Righteous chicken, which is tenderized chicken, soaked in buttermilk and fried to golden-brown. They also have a wide variety of savory fillers for biscuits ranging from sausages to tomatoes.
StrengthsRise is recognized as the fastest-growing biscuit and chicken concept in the US and has received accolades from entities like Fast Casual Magazine, Food & Wine Magazine, etc.
The company offers both online ordering and catering facilities, which expands the range of customers they serve in the market.
WeaknessesThe company only has a physical presence in six states and compared to its competitors, it only covers a very small geographical area.
RevenuesThe company has an estimated revenue of $20.3 million. 
LocationsThe company has locations in North Carolina, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, Tennessee, and Virginia.

BojanglesCompetitive AdvantageBojangles stands apart from its competitors through its wide variety of flavor options and the famous never-frozen chicken offering, which is marinated for 12 hours and then hand-battered two times and fried to golden perfection. 
StrengthsThe acquisition of Bojangles by The Jordan Company, which is a private equity firm, has further strengthened the brand and its operations while expanding its market presence.
The company has a strong market presence of more than 750 locations spanning over 12 states.
Bojangles has received strong recognition through many expert entities in the industry like Entrepreneur Franchise, Franchise Times, USA Today, QSR, etc.
WeaknessesThe company doesn't offer an online ordering facility, and it restricts the customer base to outlet visitors. It also impacts the position of the company in the market since its competitors offer this solution.
In a competitive environment where the competitors can easily imitate similar offerings, the structure of the company is only compatible with the present business model, and this limits the expansion of the company in adjacent segments. 
RevenuesThe company has an estimated revenue of $547.4 million.
LocationsThe company has locations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia.

Part

of eleven

Part

Maple Street Biscuits - Competitors: The Findings Part Four

Huddle House serves its customers in 349 restaurants, while Tudor's Biscuit World serves its customers in over 70 restaurants across four states. A competitive landscape for Huddle House and Tudor's Biscuit World, including their competitive advantage, strengths and weaknesses, annual revenue, and locations, has been provided below.

Huddle HouseCompetitive AdvantageHuddle House is a time-honored company as it has been in the business for 55 years (since 1964). 
The restaurant chain operates in a total of 349 locations.
The company offers a franchising opportunity for potential investors backed up with lower total investment costs, a proven business model, and an in house supply chain system.
Strengths The restaurant chain has a rewards program in the form of coupons. There is a $5 off coupon every time a customer purchases $20 worth of gift cards.
Customer service is an evident strength for the company as a customer said."the wait staff were friendly, and my favorite Wait staff is Ariel she is friendly and gets what we need I think she deserves a raise she is a hard worker." Another customer said, "Hannah was awesome and took such great care of us today!! Everyone was so friendly, and it's a very welcoming environment."
The company has a nutritional guide program on its website that is derived from tests conducted from accredited laboratories and published resources.
The company has positioned itself as the "best place in town for friends to gather." 
WeaknessesSome customers mentioned a lack of cleanliness and poor food service. A customer said, "our food was overcooked. We had to ask for refills. No one even brought a high chair or cleaned it tables were dirty." Another customer said, "dirty aprons, food under tables, dirty plates placed where food was being prepared. We have always enjoyed eating here until now."
RevenueThe company has an estimated annual revenue of $15.3 million.
LocationsThe company has its headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. Other locations include Alabama, Kansas, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Mississippi, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, and Indiana.

Tudor's Biscuit WorldCompetitive AdvantageThe company offers exciting franchising opportunities for potential investors to be part of its corporate family.
The company has a long-standing history in the restaurant business spanning for almost 4 decades (since 1980). 
StrengthsThe company offers a comprehensive nutrition guide for all breakfast, lunch, and dinner dishes to its customers.
The restaurant chain positions itself as “Start your day the homemade way!” 
The restaurant prides itself on good planning and offering quality and inexpensive products. A customer said,"They offer way more than just breakfast. Awesome menu, great food, good prices. Definitely worth a visit". Another customer said, "They have a pretty extensive menu for sandwiches and plenty of breakfast options. We ordered from their $5 menu, which includes a sandwich, fries, and a drink." 
Quality service is another strength of the company as a customer said: "The service was fast, and the food was very good." Another customer said, "Always great, home-style meals with huge biscuits. Especially love the breakfast foods & the bowls of beans."
WeaknessesCompared to Huddle House, the company lacks geographical presence as currently, it only operates mostly in 4 states and a total of just over 70 restaurants as compared to Huddle House, which, has 349 restaurants.
RevenuesThe company has an estimated annual revenue of $7.4 million.
LocationsThe company has locations in Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia. The company also has a location in Florida.
Research StrategyThe research for Huddle House and Tudor's Biscuit World was fairly straightforward except for the annual revenues. The reason being, as privately-owned companies, they are not mandated to make their financial records public. We began our search on each company`s website, as companies often provide their annual revenues on their portal. Unfortunately, neither company gave the record of their respective annual revenues. We then turned to other credible media sources such as Forbes, The Nashville Post, The Tennessean, QSR Magazines, and Biz journals. The idea here was to find out if there are any financial records of the two companies. This strategy bore no fruit. Finally, we resorted to looking up company databases such as Crunchbase, Zoominfo.com, and Owler. Through Owler, we were able to find the estimated revenues for these companies, but they were only estimates, we could not prove the authenticity of the information provided.

Part

of eleven

Part

Maple Street Biscuits - Cracker Barrel Acquisition

Maple Street Biscuits was acquired by Cracker Barrel for $36 million, but Maple Street Biscuits will continue to operate as an independent subsidiary of Cracker Barrel and Scott Moore will remain the CEO of Maple Street.
Acquisition DetailsCracker Barrel acquired Maple Street Biscuit Company on October 11, 2019, for $36 million in all cash.
Cracker Barrel purchased all 28 company-owned and five franchise-owned Maple Street Biscuit Company locations across seven states.
Cracker Barrel will be converting its Holler & Dash Biscuit House units to Maple Street Biscuit Company restaurants. This will grow Maple Street Biscuits by 21%.
Maple Street Biscuit Company has an average per-unit volume of $1 million.
The acquisition was a year in the making, with "more than 25 companies courting Maple Street. Only Cracker Barrel understood the company's vision.
Organizational Details Scott Moore, co-founder of Maple Street Biscuit Company, will remain the CEO of the company, but will "report directly to Sandra B. Cochran, President and CEO of Cracker Barrel."
According to Moore, no changes are planned in terms of guest experience. He said, "They [Cracker Barrel] want us to keep doing what we’re doing, executing a model and building the Maple Street brand... We’ll be a standalone brand."
Moore also stated, "Nothing will change regarding community leaders" and Maple Street Biscuits will continue to use its "community leader' model for management, requiring new leaders to train in an already-established Maple Street location before taking over their own store."
Moore has assured stakeholders that "Cracker Barrel isn’t micromanaging the Maple Street business" and added, "No one at Maple Street reports to anyone at Cracker Barrel except for me."
Cracker Barrel has offered to pay for Maple Street Biscuits' advertising, but Moore said the company prefers to rely on word-of-mouth and social media to grow the business.