The Biscuit Bar, a beloved North Texas comfort food and breakfast restaurant chain, has closed all six of its locations across Texas, ending its seven-year run in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and Abilene. The sudden shutdown comes just days before Christmas and leaves more than 100 employees without jobs.
The Biscuit Bar’s history
The Biscuit Bar was founded in 2018 by husband-and-wife team Jake and Janie Burkett, who were inspired to open the Biscuit Bar after the tragic death of their daughter in 2016. The Biscuit Bar grew quickly and eventually had six total locations in Deep Ellum, The Boardwalk in Plano, Coppell, North Arlington, the Fort Worth Stockyards, and Abilene.
The casual restaurants became known for their creative biscuit sandwiches, customizable tots, cold brew coffee, and local beers on tap, drawing in crowds throughout the week.
In early 2025, The Biscuit Bar filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in hopes of reorganizing and saving the business amid mounting financial pressures. Rising food and labor costs, supply chain instability, and a competitive landscape dominated by larger chains created difficult conditions for the independent brand.
Efforts to save The Biscuit Bar
The Burketts were optimistic about a potential rescue of their restaurants when a “respected restaurant group” agreed to acquire the brand, with terms set and a closing date scheduled for December 2025. However, that deal collapsed at the last minute.
According to statements from the founders, several key financial stakeholders ― including landlords whose cooperation was essential to the sale ― refused to compromise or support the plan, making the transaction impossible and forcing the company to shut down entirely.
“We bring this news with the heaviest of hearts,” the Burketts wrote in a social media announcement on December 15th. “After seven years of serving our communities, we have closed our doors effective immediately. This is not the outcome we fought for, and it is not for lack of trying.”
Impacts of closure
The abrupt closures have left more than 100 staff members unemployed during the holiday season, and community members have expressed sadness over the loss of a local favorite. In response, a GoFundMe campaign has been launched by supporters to help affected employees through the transition.
A December 15th Instagram post by Janie Burkett read in part, “In 2016, the idea for The Biscuit Bar was born out of the hardest time in our lives: the death of our first born child.” Burkett went on to explain how several family members were integral to the brand’s success, adding that its closure “…feels like a death in the family too.”
The closure of The Biscuit Bar highlights broader challenges facing independent restaurants in 2025 (like this independent Texas eatery closing in December), as smaller operators struggle with rising costs, labor shortages, changing consumer dining trends, and competition from larger food brands. For diners who enjoyed the comfort food of signature biscuits and breakfast staples, the loss marks the end of a cherished piece of North Texas dining culture.
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