Biscuit Love plans location in downtown Franklin

October 19, 2016

Nashville Business Journal
by Jacob Steimer

Biscuit Love, the former food-truck-turned-Gulch hotspot, plans to open soon in an historic mansion in downtown Franklin.

Bud Carman, the co-owner of the mansion, said he is under contract to sell the building to Fresh Capital, the real estate arm of local restaurant giant Fresh Hospitality. Biscuit Love, a Fresh Hospitality brand, will operate in the building, Carman said. The mansion is located at 132 Third Ave. S.

Carman did not disclose a purchase price, though the building was reportedly listed for sale at $2.5 million, according to The Tennessean.

Because she hasn’t yet signed a lease for the space, Biscuit Love co-owner Sarah Worleydeclined to elaborate on the project, but she said the expansion is “definitely on the table.”

Worley said she is currently focused on opening her second brick-and-mortar location in Hillsboro Village. Plans to open a third location in Franklin show Fresh Hospitality’s power to grow brands quickly.

“Being able to reach different segments of the market is an important thing,” Worley said. “We’ve been really lucky with our store in the Gulch to be attractive to people who don’t live here … so that’s changed what we do dramatically. I’m really looking forward to the Hillsboro store and getting back to serving Nashvillians again.”

The Gulch location has proven particularly popular with tourists, with lines often stretching outside.

Worley said the toughest part about the growth has been managing the exponential growth in employees.

“We went from Karl [her husband] and I and one full-time employee and a couple of part-time employees [operating the food truck] to where we employ 61 people now. .. That’s definitely a growing challenge … [and] definitely a new skill-set,” Worley said.

Fresh Hospitality, which helps operate about 20 concepts, with 150 locations all across the country, has recently been expanding its Middle Tennessee reach away from Nashville. In May, the company purchased land in Cool Springs.