Vicious Biscuit, the original home of unapologetically bold biscuits, is adding an experienced multi-brand restaurant group to its growing franchise system. Operating as Gravy Crew, LLC, Chris Carnes, Ben Fields and operating partner Jonah Greenup, whose portfolio includes 11 Zaxby’s and six Chicken Salad Chick restaurants, have signed a lease for their first Vicious Biscuit in Greenville, North Carolina.
The 3,000-square-foot restaurant will be located at 3030 S. Evans St. in University Commons and is expected to open late 2026. It will be Vicious Biscuit’s first franchise location in North Carolina, joining corporate-owned restaurants in Boone, Charlotte and Wilmington.
The partnership brings together three operators who have worked alongside one another for nearly two decades. Carnes entered the restaurant business with Zaxby’s in 2001. Fields, who previously worked on the corporate side of Zaxby’s, joined Carnes in 2008. Greenup began with the group that same year, working his way from team member through management and eventually becoming a partner when the group added Chicken Salad Chick to its portfolio.
While Carnes wasn’t looking to add another restaurant concept, Vicious Biscuit had been on his radar for some time. He first learned about Vicious Biscuit after seeing it featured on national television. Years later, while traveling to visit his son at Appalachian State University, he repeatedly passed Vicious Biscuit in Boone and noticed the crowds waiting outside. When he finally visited, what he found was different from the biscuit restaurant he expected.
“I had probably passed it a dozen times and there were always people standing outside,” said Carnes. “We finally caught it without a line, went in and ordered a little bit of everything. I was expecting more of a mom-and-pop biscuit place, but as soon as I walked in, I realized this was a real concept. The food, the atmosphere and the personality of the brand were fun and edgy.”
That experience prompted Carnes to take a closer look at Vicious Biscuit as a potential addition to the group’s restaurant portfolio. Carnes saw parallels to his early experience with Zaxby’s while the concept was still relatively young.
“When I got into Zaxby’s more than 20 years ago, it was still early, and I saw what that could become,” Carnes said. “I told myself years ago that if I ever came across another opportunity I really believed in, I wasn’t going to let it pass me by. I like where Vicious Biscuit is today and the opportunity to grow with it.”
Beyond the food and concept, Vicious Biscuit’s leadership team was an important factor in the group’s decision. After spending time with co-founder and CEO George McLaughlin and the team, Carnes saw an emerging concept with the infrastructure and experience his group wanted from a franchisor.
“For an emerging brand, it feels very established,” Carnes said. “They’ve already built the infrastructure and support you’d expect from a much larger franchise system, and there are experienced people behind it. You have to love the product first, but just as important is knowing you can pick up the phone and call the people leading the company. When I met George and the team, it felt like a group of people we could work and grow with.”
The group was also drawn to Vicious Biscuit’s operating model. Its single-shift schedule and 2:30 p.m. closing time offer a different operating environment from traditional full-day restaurant concepts, giving teams their afternoons and evenings back.
The three partners initially signed for one restaurant, giving them an opportunity to operate within the Vicious Biscuit system before determining their next phase of growth. If Greenville performs as expected and the partnership proves to be the right long-term fit, the group sees potential for additional Vicious Biscuit restaurants in Eastern North Carolina.
For McLaughlin, adding operators with experience growing multiple restaurant concepts is an important part of Vicious Biscuit’s franchise development strategy.
“Chris, Ben and Jonah understand what it takes to operate restaurants at scale, build teams and grow within a franchise system,” said McLaughlin. “They also took the time to get to know us and make sure this was the right fit before moving forward. Those are exactly the kinds of operators we want to grow with Vicious Biscuit. Greenville is a strong restaurant market, and they know it well. We see a lot of potential in what we can build together from here.”
Founded in Charleston, SC, Vicious Biscuit has been building the systems and infrastructure behind its franchise program as it expands beyond its corporate base. The company currently operates seven corporate locations across South Carolina, North Carolina and Florida and has five franchise locations in Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi and Ohio, with additional development underway.
Vicious Biscuit is seeking multi-unit operators to join its growing franchise system. For more information, visit www.viciousbiscuit.com/vicious-biscuit-franchise. Follow Vicious Biscuit on Instagram @viciousbiscuits and Facebook at ViciousBiscuit1.
