Vicious Biscuit has had one impressive year. In March, CEO George McLaughlin told QSR magazine that he planned to scale up to 75 locations within five years, fueled by an aggressive franchise pipeline. Earlier this year, the company inked seven major expansion deals, totaling nearly 40 new locations.
COO Amanda Kahalehoe joined the team in 2021, overseeing finance, marketing, technology, human resources, and development departments. She led the brand’s growth from two to seven corporate units within a year. Franchising was always part of Vicious Biscuit’s plan, but the company waited nearly five years to make the move.
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“Our greatest strategy to scale is always having a strong foundation,” Kahalehoe says. “We always had a play to franchise, but we wanted to take our time and build a brand, not a restaurant. We waited until we had systems and training programs firmly in place. We honed in on our identity and our core consumer … making sure all of those foundational pieces were in place because franchising is all about scalability and replication.”
The nine-unit brand was gaining traction with potential franchisees across the country—and even internationally—but Kahalehoe says the team was intentional about selecting the right partners. Those initial operators, she notes, will set the stage for future growth.
Under Kahalehoe’s guidance, Vicious Biscuit had full operations guidelines, recipes integrated into a digital learning management system, and a detailed new store-opening strategy, including marketing and corporate infrastructure, before the first franchisee signed on. Since announcing its franchise strategy in 2023, Kahalehoe has focused on expanding the brand’s human capital.
“You can’t develop and support your franchisees if you don’t have the human capital to do so, and we’ve spent the bulk of 2024 building out the playbook and workbook to continue to evolve and develop more locations,” Kahalehoe says. “I encourage our teams to be very diverse in their skill sets … A big part of my leadership strategy has moved from being the doer to the delegator and empowering others so they have the autonomy to execute the brand’s vision in a synergistic environment.”
Kahalehoe says the brand’s strong culture has helped it navigate the challenges of expansion during a tumultuous economic climate. Rapid growth can strain systems and infrastructure, she adds, but her team has worked hard to build a strong foundation capable of pivoting around potential issues.
“We’re small, and we’re competing against sophisticated brands for the same share of stomach,” she says. “We have a small team and bandwidth, but we’ve been able to just push through any challenges that come our way and still represent ourselves authentically. We know who we are as a concept, and we’re moving forward and getting to the next phase of growth.”
Catherine Hull, Vicious Biscuit’s fractional CMO, echoes Kahalehoe’s sentiments, saying that whether a brand has three units or 3,000, a strong culture is critical for sustaining long-term growth.
“Staying true to your brand is a huge discipline. When things start to go a little bit south, everybody wants to pivot, and you have to stay true to who you are. With an emerging brand, it’s even more important,” Hull says. “You have to get underneath everything and look up at the brand from the consumer’s perspective.”
Hull brings experience from Marco’s Pizza, Fazoli’s, and Papa Johns. Her focus is to drive the brand forward with data-driven marketing strategies that analyze market trends, consumer behaviors, and competitor insights. She is known for combining data with intuition for maximum impact.
“I’m data-driven, but I throw a little gut and a little experience in there to avoid analysis paralysis. With a brand at this stage of the game, you can’t just throw stuff at the wall and see if it sticks,” Hull says. “We have to measure, analyze, and learn what’s working and make adjustments accordingly so we can continue on the same upward trajectory.”
Hull says balancing traditional and data-driven marketing is delicate. So far, she has executed third-party proprietary surveys, utilized internal databases to communicate directly with customers, and gathered feedback about the guest experience from various angles. By triangulating that data and identifying patterns and outliers, Hull determines the best direction for the brand.
“Sometimes the data will tell you one thing, but something’s telling you another. In that case, you can use the data to point you in the right direction and work from there,” Hull says. “The main idea is to continuously measure the pulse of the consumer and keep them top of mind. Always.”
Hull also integrates the brand’s three pillars—comfort food, tradition, and community—into her marketing strategy. As she continues to refine Vicious Biscuit’s marketing efforts, she is most excited about expanding its reach to larger audiences.
“There is something incredibly unique about Vicious Biscuit,” Hull says. “There’s this brand personality that is very engaging for those who experience it, and my efforts are all about exposing more people to this brand … turning them into what will certainly be a raving fan.”
As Vicious Biscuit continues to bring its Southern-inspired concept into new markets, Kahalehoe believes the brand has the opportunity to carve out and define a unique niche for itself.
“From the food to the decor to the cheeky branding and taglines, people love Vicious Biscuit, and we want to bring it to the masses. People are excited about it … and it’s so exciting to be a part of an organization like that,” she says. “At the end of the day, the food and brand is just a vessel to reach the community and empower people. It’s got to be about the people.”
