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VIDEO: How Atlanta-based Flying Biscuit Café learned menu and digital lessons during the pandemicVIDEO: How Atlanta-based Flying Biscuit Café learned menu and digital lessons during the pandemic

Daryl Dollinger, president of Flying Biscuit Café parent company Big Game Brands, talks about their new chicken and waffles offering and pivot to delivery during COVID-19

Joanna Fantozzi, Senior Editor

December 7, 2020

2 Min Read
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The Flying Biscuit Café — a 20-unit, Atlanta-based Southern breakfast and brunch franchised concept — did not have an app before the pandemic began. But since then, they have turned the dial up on their digital presence and menu offerings: introducing an app, analyzing consumer data, and adding new menu items like chicken and waffles throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this video, Daryl Dollinger, the president of Flying Biscuit Café’s parent company, Big Game Brands, discusses the company’s pivot to takeout and delivery during the pandemic, growth plan, and how they’ve stayed one step ahead in the growing breakfast concept market:

“We were once a business where 70% of our revenue came from dine-in and now that number is cut in half,” Dollinger said in the video interview with Restaurant Hospitality. “[…] We were looking at different customer behaviors, because they were stuck at home and feeding a family of five now. […] We found that people are comfortable with ordering on their phones and don’t need to be upsold online.”

Although the company right now is still primarily in the “biscuit belt” of the Southeast with locations mainly in Atlanta, Charlotte and Raleigh, they recently opened a store in Colorado and would love to one day expand to larger metropolitan areas in the Northeast like New York City.

“We’ve always been in growth mode we’ve just had to pause for a few months,” Dollinger said. “We’ve had to figure out ways to make our business more accessible, whether it be online, third-party, outdoor dining and curbside, we’ve had to adjust to all of that.”

Watch the video below to learn more about this emerging breakfast brand.

Contact Joanna Fantozzi at [email protected]

Follow her on Twitter: @JoannaFantozzi

About the Author

Joanna Fantozzi

Senior Editor

Joanna Fantozzi is a Senior Editor for Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality. She has more than seven years of experience writing about the restaurant and hospitality industry. Her editorial coverage ranges from profiles of independent restaurants around the country to breaking news and insights into some of the biggest brands in food and beverage, including Starbucks, Domino’s, and Papa John’s.  

Joanna holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature and creative writing from The College of New Jersey and a master’s degree in arts and culture journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. Prior to joining Informa’s Restaurants and Food Group in 2018, she was a freelance food, culture, and lifestyle writer, and has previously held editorial positions at Insider (formerly known as Business Insider) and The Daily Meal. Joanna’s work can also be found in The New York Times, Forbes, Vice, The New York Daily News, and Parents Magazine. 

Her areas of expertise include restaurant industry news, restaurant operator solutions and innovations, and political/cultural issues.

Joanna Fantozzi has been a moderator and event facilitator at both Informa’s MUFSO and Restaurants Rise industry events. 

Joanna Fantozzi’s experience:

Senior Editor, Informa Restaurant & Food Group (August 2021-present)

Associate Editor, Informa Restaurant & Food Group (July 2019-August 2021)

Assistant Editor, Informa Restaurant & Food Group (Oct. 2018-July 2019)

Freelance Food & Lifestyle Reporter (Feb. 2018-Oct. 2018)

Food & Lifestyle Reporter, Insider (June 2017-Feb. 2018)

News Editor, The Daily Meal (Jan. 2014- June 2017)

Staff Reporter, Straus News (Jan. 2013-Dec. 2013)

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