Maple Street Biscuit Company at 662 Central Ave in downtown St. Pete will convert to Biscuit Belly, a Louisville-based brunch chain that acquired roughly 35 Maple Street locations from Cracker Barrel. The transition at the Central Ave address is scheduled for the first quarter of 2027, with conversions across the full acquired portfolio expected to take 18 to 24 months in total.
Biscuit Belly was founded in 2019 by Chad and Lauren Coulter, former pharmacists who built the brand to 15 restaurants across the Southeast before the Cracker Barrel deal closed. The acquisition more than triples the chain's footprint, with projections of over 60 units operating by the end of 2028.
The menu marks a departure from Maple Street's more focused biscuit-sandwich format. Biscuit Belly's program includes bonuts — biscuit doughnut holes — alongside pancake corn dogs, fried green tomatoes, and biscuits and gravy. Its signature sandwich, The Boozy Bird, layers fried chicken on a biscuit and finishes with bourbon syrup.
The more consequential change at 662 Central Ave is what's coming behind the bar. Biscuit Belly will introduce a full cocktail menu at the address — espresso martinis, Bloody Marys, and old fashioneds — a drinks program the space has not offered under the Maple Street banner. That addition puts the converted location in direct contention with the full-service brunch operators that have expanded along Central Avenue in recent years.
Maple Street will continue operating at the address through the conversion window. With Q1 2027 as the target, the current concept has at least another six months before the rebrand takes effect. Across the full portfolio of acquired locations, Biscuit Belly expects to complete all conversions within 18 to 24 months of the deal closing.
