In a press release earlier today, the Greensboro-based breakfast chain, Biscuitville, announced that founder Maurice Neuborne Jennings had passed away on September 19. He was 86. 

In previous “Best of the Triangle” years, Biscuitville—despite being a chain competing against many local beloved breakfast joints—has slid into the “Best Biscuit” category.

Biscuitville began as Pizzaville, a Greensboro pizza hub, in 1966. Jennings, who has said he didn’t know much about pizza, did know a lot about biscuits—per family lore, the recipe for the restaurant’s token made-from-scratch biscuit was passed down from Jenning’s grandmother—and began to set out a biscuit and jelly bar in the mornings.

That spread became popular enough to merit the opening of a stand-alone Biscuitville in Danville, Virginia, in 1975. 

Slowly, the chain began to creep back South. There are now 64 locations throughout Virginia and North Carolina, and Biscuitville’s headquarters—formerly located in Alamance County—are now in Greensboro. Jennings’s son, Burney Jennings, has been CEO of the company since 1996.

In February, Jennings received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the N.C. Restaurant & Lodging Association. 

“Maurice’s courage, tenacity and passion allowed him to defy the odds to build a successful family-owned business that remains stronger than ever after 54 years.  He built Biscuitville with a few simple principles: a commitment to great quality food, friendly people and food served fast,” Biscuitville President Kathie Niven said in a press release. “Maurice left a legacy that offers each of us at Biscuitville the opportunity to be part of something special and something that is hard to find—a company that puts people before profit.”

Throughout the pandemic, Biscuitville’s dining rooms have stayed closed. The drive-thru, however, remains open during traditional breakfast hours: 5:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

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Sarah Edwards is culture editor of the INDY, covering cultural institutions and the arts in the Triangle. She joined the staff in 2019 and assumed her current role in 2020.