Just days before Christmas 2025, The Biscuit Bar, a popular North Texas restaurant chain, closed all six of its locations. Over 100 employees suddenly found themselves out of work, marking a sad end to what had once been a remarkable local success story.
What began as a small family venture built from grief and comfort food grew into a dining favorite across the region. But after seven years, rising costs, fewer customers, and a failed business rescue brought its story to a close.
The Burkett family, founders Jake and Janie, started the concept in late 2016 after the heartbreaking loss of their infant daughter, Brycee Jo. Cooking became their way to heal and connect. On New Year’s Eve, they made homemade biscuits with fun toppings for family and friends. The reaction sparked an idea.
For 16 months, they tested recipes until, in April 2018, The Biscuit Bar opened its first location in Plano’s Granite Park Boardwalk. Customers lined up down the block, drawn to hearty biscuit sandwiches like “The Hoss,” stacked with fried chicken, bacon, cheese, and gravy.
The success was rapid. By 2019, the Burketts expanded into Deep Ellum, Coppell, North Arlington, Fort Worth’s Stockyards, and Abilene. With six restaurants and more than 100 staff members, The Biscuit Bar seemed on track for even bigger things.
The Cost Pressures That Crushed Restaurants
But behind the smiles and biscuit stacks, trouble was brewing. Between 2020 and 2025, food and labor costs shot up about 35 percent each. Meanwhile, customer visits stayed well below what they were before the pandemic.
The Biscuit Bar tried to adjust with menu tweaks and efficiency efforts, but the math stopped working. In October 2025, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, an attempt to reorganize finances while keeping the doors open. It listed less than $100,000 in assets against as much as $10 million in debt.
These problems weren’t unique. The Texas Restaurant Association reported that by late 2025, nearly nine out of ten restaurants faced higher food costs. Two-thirds were paying more in wages, and over a third saw sales drop. Prices on essentials like eggs rose nearly 25 percent, beef climbed more than 11 percent, and chicken and dairy also increased.
For a restaurant built on fresh ingredients and scratch cooking, those costs hit directly. Independent chains like The Biscuit Bar didn’t have the massive buying power of national brands, making price hikes even harder to absorb.
Raising menu prices could scare away customers, but cutting back on quality or staff risked harming the brand. It became what some in the industry call a “no-win” situation: spending more to earn less.
A Rescue Deal That Fell Apart
After filing bankruptcy, hope remained that a new restaurant group might buy and revive the chain. Negotiations looked promising. A deal was in place to close by December 2025, which could have saved jobs and kept Biscuit Bar locations open.
But every restaurant’s lease had to transfer to the new buyer. For the sale to work, landlords for all six sites needed to agree. Under bankruptcy law, landlords can block lease transfers if they believe it’s not in their best financial interest.
Some property owners refused to cooperate. In a strong real estate market, they could potentially re-rent those spaces at higher rates if The Biscuit Bar went under. That financial incentive outweighed efforts to rescue the chain.
In a statement, the Burketts explained that while some partners supported the deal, key landlords refused. “Their refusal to compromise or support a path forward ultimately made the sale impossible,” they said. With no agreement and no funds to keep operating, The Biscuit Bar had no choice left.
The Final Days and What It Meant
When the rescue collapsed, the bankruptcy shifted from Chapter 11 (reorganization) to Chapter 7 (liquidation) on December 11, 2025. Four days later, all six restaurants closed suddenly, just ten days before Christmas. Employees learned overnight that their shifts, and their jobs were gone.
The Burketts, unable to help directly, launched a GoFundMe campaign for their staff, pledging that all donations would go to workers. The goal was $50,000. By December 18, it had raised around $7,000, or about $70 per person, far short of the need.
The Biscuit Bar’s story reflected a much larger crisis. In the preceding two years, major restaurant names also struggled. Red Lobster shut down 131 locations. TGI Fridays closed about 100. Hooters, Razzoo’s Cajun Cafe, and Denny’s all announced significant closures or bankruptcies.
Most restaurants operate on thin margins, earning roughly 15 percent after covering 85 percent of their costs. When expenses for food and labor each rise more than 30 percent, even a modest profit becomes impossible without dramatically higher menu prices. The National Restaurant Association estimated a 30 percent hike would be required just to stay in the black, a level many diners couldn’t afford.
In the end, The Biscuit Bar’s closing wasn’t just the loss of a business. It erased a gathering place where neighbors met for brunch, where regulars had “their table,” and where biscuits became a small comfort in Texas life.
Its story, born in family grief, built on community joy, and undone by economic forces captures the fragility of independent restaurants today.
Sources
The Biscuit Bar LLC Chapter 11 and Chapter 7 filings. U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas, October 2, 2025 and December 11, 2025
Texas Restaurant Association Q3 2025 Economic Report. Texas Restaurant Association, 2025
Food Price Outlook August 2025. USDA Economic Research Service, August 2025
Owner of Biscuit Bar Discusses Forced Closure. WFAA, December 2025
North Texas Restaurant Chain Closes After Failed Sale Bid. Houston Chronicle, December 2025
Inflation and Operating Cost Analysis. National Restaurant Association, 2025