First Franchisee Expands Again as the Restaurant Brand Builds Toward Its Next Stage
Franchise growth is often measured by how many new owners a brand can recruit. But another metric deserves attention: how many existing operators want to keep growing with the system.
The Big Biscuit offers a useful example.
Steve Zahn joined the breakfast-and-lunch concept as its first franchisee after the company began franchising in 2019. Years later, he has seven Oklahoma restaurants operating and another two in development.
That will bring his portfolio to nine locations and strengthen The Big Biscuit’s presence in one of its most established franchise markets.
At the same time, the restaurant company is approaching 40 locations across Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas.
A Franchisee Who Grew Alongside the Brand
When Zahn entered The Big Biscuit system, he was not new to restaurant operations.
He brought extensive multi-unit experience to a concept that was only beginning to build its franchise network.
That combination can be valuable for a young franchisor.
Experienced operators are generally accustomed to evaluating restaurant systems from a business perspective. They understand labor, management, food costs, real estate, customer service and the challenges involved in replicating performance across multiple locations.
Zahn ultimately built The Big Biscuit across several Oklahoma markets.
His existing restaurants serve communities including Tulsa, Broken Arrow, Edmond, Owasso, Midwest City and Oklahoma City. New development in Oklahoma City and Norman will expand the network further.
Instead of treating Oklahoma as a collection of individual franchise sales, The Big Biscuit has effectively developed a larger regional presence through an established multi-unit operator.
The Advantages of Growing With Proven Operators
There is a practical reason franchisors often prioritize multi-unit development.
Opening the first franchise location with an owner involves building a new relationship, transferring operational knowledge and helping that operator understand the brand.
Once a franchisee successfully operates several restaurants, the development equation changes.
The owner already understands the menu, staffing model, technology, operating procedures and customer experience. The franchisor also has real-world evidence of the franchisee’s ability to execute.
That familiarity can reduce some of the uncertainty involved in expansion.
It does not eliminate the risks associated with opening restaurants, but it creates a more established foundation for development.
For The Big Biscuit, Zahn’s continued investment also provides a visible example of an operator who has moved from early franchisee to significant multi-unit developer.
Simplicity Can Become a Competitive Advantage
The Big Biscuit occupies an interesting position within restaurant franchising.
Its restaurants offer full-service dining, but the operating model is designed around efficiency. Average ticket times are approximately six minutes, according to information shared by the company.
The concept also concentrates its business around daytime dining.
Breakfast and lunch provide the core revenue occasions, giving the company a different operating schedule from concepts that remain open through dinner and late evening.
Its menu follows a similarly straightforward philosophy.
Rather than attempting to reinvent breakfast, The Big Biscuit emphasizes recognizable American comfort food, substantial portions and familiar dishes served in a casual, family-oriented environment.
For customers, that creates an easily understood value proposition.
For franchise development, it creates a concept that can potentially be explained quickly to both prospective customers and prospective operators.
Regional Expansion Creates a Foundation
The Big Biscuit’s current footprint remains concentrated in America’s central states.
That may actually be one of the more interesting parts of its strategy.
The company has built restaurants across Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas rather than immediately pursuing scattered national development.
Kansas continues to receive new investment, with additional corporate restaurants in the pipeline. Missouri is seeing franchise expansion, including development around Columbia. Arkansas has also become part of the brand’s growing regional presence.
Meanwhile, Zahn’s expansion continues to deepen The Big Biscuit’s position in Oklahoma.
Regional concentration can help a developing restaurant franchise build awareness and infrastructure before taking on the complexity of national expansion.
A cluster of restaurants can support stronger local recognition than individual locations separated by hundreds of miles.
Community Still Matters When a Brand Scales
Restaurant franchises may rely on standardized systems, but individual restaurants ultimately serve local communities.
The Big Biscuit has made community participation part of its identity.
Its restaurants have supported initiatives related to public education, teachers, children and food insecurity. Zahn has also played a role in developing community programs within Oklahoma.
One school supply initiative that began locally later expanded into a broader campaign across the franchise system.
That progression illustrates something important about franchising: innovation does not always move from corporate headquarters to franchisees.
Strong franchise operators can introduce ideas locally that eventually become useful across an entire brand.
What The Big Biscuit’s Expansion Says About Franchise Growth
There are several ways a restaurant franchise can pursue expansion.
A company can sell as many territories as possible, enter numerous markets simultaneously and focus heavily on unit count. Or it can build clusters around capable operators while developing its infrastructure at a more deliberate pace.
The Big Biscuit appears closer to the second approach.
Its development has included both corporate restaurants and experienced multi-unit franchisees. The company has continued entering new markets, but its expansion remains concentrated enough to maintain a recognizable regional base.
Zahn’s latest development commitment fits directly into that strategy.
The first franchisee did not simply open one restaurant and remain there. He built a multi-unit operation and is continuing to invest as the brand itself expands.
Repeat Investment Can Be a Powerful Franchise Signal
Prospective franchise buyers typically examine franchise fees, startup costs, revenue potential and market availability when evaluating an opportunity.
They should also pay attention to what existing franchisees are doing.
Are successful owners opening additional units? Are experienced operators remaining in the system? Is expansion being driven only by new franchise sales, or are current franchisees reinvesting?
Those questions can reveal useful information about the development of a franchise system.
The Big Biscuit’s Oklahoma story does not answer every question an investor should ask before buying a franchise. Proper due diligence remains essential.
But an original franchisee expanding toward nine restaurants is a noteworthy development.
As The Big Biscuit approaches 40 locations and builds its presence across four states, the company’s next chapter may depend increasingly on operators capable of developing multiple restaurants.
For emerging franchise brands, that is often where expansion begins to shift from simply selling franchises to building a scalable franchise network.
Learn more about The Big Biscuit Franchise opportunities.
