Biscuitville celebrates grand opening at Elon University

The Elon University community formally welcomed Biscuitville to campus on Sept. 4 with a grand opening and ribbon cutting at the restaurant chain’s newest location in the Winter Garden Café inside Lakeside Dining Hall.

The morning program featured remarks by Biscuitville CEO Burney Jennings, a member of Elon’s Board of Trustees, and Elon University President Leo M. Lambert, who praised the Jennings family’s dedication to the community and company values.

Elon is the first college or university to introduce a Biscuitville on campus and is now the only location in the restaurant chain to offer an expanded menu with later dinner hours. The restaurant specializes in Southern comfort food and is best known for its family biscuit recipe prepared by hand every 20 minutes in front of customers. It was one of the most highly rated and requested restaurant chains to be cited this year in an Elon student survey about potential dining options.

“We are thrilled that Biscuitville’s first on-campus experience is at Elon University,” Jennings said. “We believe Biscuitville’s menu, which includes both healthy and indulgent items, is a great fit for Elon’s busy campus and those who want to enjoy a quick, delicious Southern breakfast.”

Burney Jennings’s father, Maurice, graduated from Elon in 1957 and started a food company just nine years later. The first Biscuitville opened its doors in 1975. On average, the company’s current 58 locations go through 28,600 pounds of flour, 4,000 pounds of country ham, 11,500 pounds of sausage and 9,500 pounds of bacon every week.

“Elon students are excited about Biscuitville and expressed great interest in adding this premier local brand to the university’s campus dining options,” Lambert said. “The philosophy that has made Biscuitville a success story for nearly 40 years in our region—a commitment to quality and an unwavering dedication to the community—is a great example for our students. The addition of Biscuitville also deepens a wonderful relationship Elon has shared with the Jennings family for more than half a century.

“We are grateful for everything the Jennings family has done to enhance the vitality of our region.” 

Biscuitville, which joins Topio’s and Freshii in the Winter Garden Café, will be open daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Traditional breakfast items will be available all day and additional lunch and dinner options will include an Angus burger, turkey burger, grilled chicken sandwich and chicken tenders. All lunch and dinner options are available on a Biscuitville biscuit.

Winners of a student contest celebrating Biscuitville’s addition to campus were also announced at the event. Freshman Joe Del Vecchio of Collegeville, Pa., and sophomore Kerianne Durkin of Philadelphia, Pa., each won a free Biscuitville meal per week for the rest of the fall semester for sharing why they were excited to welcome the restaurant to campus. Their entries were among 82 submissions from Elon University students:

Del Vecchio’s winning entry:

The year was 1995. In the small town of Collegeville, Pennsylvania, a child was brought into the world, and from his birth, he thought he had everything. A nice house, a nice school, nice friends, nice clothes; he thought he had the whole world in his hand. Little did he know, there was a void in his life. He would wake up ever morning and have fruit, cereal, toast, or pancakes. He would go out to breakfast to the local diners and have what he thought were the greatest breakfast foods: omelets, French toast, crepes. His ignorance was bliss.

Then, one day, his family ventured to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and went out for breakfast at a nearby grill. The boy’s eyes were opened to the warm goodness of buttery biscuits, sizzling grits, thick-cut bacon, and all the other southern specialties. He was haunted by the fact that he used to be content with his Pennsylvanian morning meal, when in reality it was now as if he had been eating dust on a plate. From that point on, he vowed to someday go to a place where he could enjoy a quality breakfast every day and leave the disheartening memories in the past.

I am that boy. That is why I am excited to have Biscuitville at Elon.

Durkin’s winning entry:

There are a lot of things I love about my home, Philadelphia. It’s a great city, with a rich history and a culture unique to the area. However, if I had to pick something I disliked about it, I would have to say that it’s the lack of quality biscuits. As a self-proclaimed breakfast lover, I understand the importance a fresh biscuit in the morning. Unfortunately, Philly lacks the famous southern, delicious biscuits.

That’s why I was excited to study at Elon University, where my appreciation for quality biscuits (as well as a quality education) was a shared principle among the population. However, I still had to drive five minutes off campus to get the best biscuits – those found at Biscuitville! This was outrageous, especially since I do not have car and am a poor hitchhiker. But thanks to the new Biscuitville now located on campus, all of my problems have been solved. The freshest biscuits, the best possible breakfast, is now within walking distance of where I live and learn. For these reasons, I am truly excited to have Biscuitville on campus. In conclusion, here is a haiku I wrote to summarize why I am thrilled to have Biscuitville at Elon:

Dreams are coming true
Great biscuits here on campus
Hot and fresh for you