Vicious Biscuit
Mount Pleasant, S.C.
Another brand with some attitude is Vicious Biscuit, a brunch concept with 10 locations.
Vicious Biscuit also wanted to be different from its competitors, which are “light, bright and airy,” says COO Amanda Kahalehoe. “You step into Vicious Biscuit and you’re in a different place with a different mood and it all plays together with that energy.”
While Vicious Biscuit’s design is intended to be edgy, it’s also meant to feel homey, too.
The goal with the design was to incorporate the edgy logo that looks like a skull and crossbones though the latter are rolling pins, along with a homey design with lots of natural-feeling wood and tilework “to elevate the experience and be modern,” says Kahalehoe.
The brand colors reflect the colors in the food. The brand specifically looked at the colors in its huevos rancheros — red and green in the pico, off-white onions, black beans, brown biscuits — which keeps the colors natural, matching the natural, freshly-made food. “We want it to all feel tied together — the food, the experience and the design — they create this holistic Vicious experience.”
Much of the “wood” is not actually wood in order to keep costs down. The wainscotting in most locations is a laminate and all trimwork is a wood composite from the same company.
The brand also uses stained wood on elements such as wainscotting, trim and millwork, and to accent the menu boards, so they don’t look so digitized. “That also wears very well over time, says Kahalehoe, which reduces franchisees’ remodel costs down the line.
A big priority was keeping costs in check for franchisees and making new locations fast to open, so there are identical elements in each restaurant such as a black and white mural of the signature “fat boy,” biscuit, an LED starburst, and “Jam Bar” signs as well as the signature tag line Son of a Biscuit. Each unit also has a second mural, of something local.
Opening a new restaurant is turnkey. “There’s no thought beyond the localization, which makes the process quicker,” says Kahalehoe.
