Big news for Richmond breakfast people. The Flying Biscuit Café has signed a franchise agreement to open its first location in Virginia, and it’s coming to the Richmond area.
The partners behind it are family: Nitant Patel, Niraj Patel and Nimesh Patel. They already run restaurant and retail businesses across Virginia and North Carolina, and now they’re bringing stuffed French toast and shrimp and grits to their own backyard.
Meet the Patels
Nitant knows mornings. The family’s businesses include convenience stores with delis, which put him behind a morning counter running food service, hiring staff and taking care of customers long before he thought about opening a restaurant. He also has an accounting degree, so he looked hard at the numbers.
Here’s the fun part. Nitant had never eaten at a Flying Biscuit until Niraj brought the brand to him. The family studied the business model and the brand’s three decades in operation, then signed.
“We’re the first Flying Biscuit in this market, so we get to be a new face here,” Nitant said. “What we want is to leave a lasting impression and make a lot of friends out of it. Richmond has all kinds of people from all kinds of backgrounds, and every one of them should feel looked after when they walk in.”
Why Richmond?
Because Richmond keeps growing. The metro area went from about 1.19 million residents in 2010 to more than 1.31 million in the 2020 census, and the Census Bureau estimated it at nearly 1.35 million in 2023.
Most of that growth has landed in Chesterfield, Hanover and Goochland counties. New neighborhoods have gone up faster than new places to sit down for breakfast. That’s a gap a biscuit can fill.
“Virginia has been the logical next step north as our Carolina cafés have filled in, and Richmond is where we wanted to start,” said Andrew Scherzer, partner and director of franchise development at Flying Biscuit Franchising. He added that the Patels already understand a business that opens early and closes in the afternoon, which runs very differently from a dinner restaurant.
What’s on the Menu
Flying Biscuit serves breakfast, brunch and lunch, and closes in the afternoon. Richmond can expect the Southern-inspired favorites the brand is known for: stuffed French toast, the famous shrimp and grits, hearty omelets, vegan scrambles, burgers and wraps. And the biscuits, obviously. Made with too much butter, which is the right amount.
The Richmond café will also have a full bar with brunch-forward cocktails. Mimosa flights on a Saturday morning? Richmond is ready.
When Does It Open?
Not yet, but soon. Site selection is underway, and the address, opening date and hiring details will be announced once a lease is signed.
This agreement covers one café. The Patels plan to sign for a second once the first is open, and they hope to grow to three to five Richmond-area cafés over time.
Part of a Bigger Run
Richmond joins a busy stretch for the brand. Flying Biscuit signed its first Missouri lease in the St. Louis metro in August and added franchise agreements in Nashville, the Tri-Cities in northeast Tennessee and Palm Beach County, Florida. Its newest café opened in downtown Knoxville on Sept. 12.
Today, Flying Biscuit has 44 locations open and 12 in development across Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida, Texas, Missouri and Virginia.
Quick Answers
Is Flying Biscuit coming to Virginia?
Yes. The brand’s first Virginia café is planned for the Richmond area.
Who is opening the Richmond Flying Biscuit?
Family franchise partners Nitant Patel, Niraj Patel and Nimesh Patel, who run restaurant and retail businesses in Virginia and North Carolina.
When will it open?
The opening date will be announced once a lease is signed. Site selection is underway now.
Will it serve alcohol?
Yes. The Richmond café will include a full bar with brunch cocktails.
What is The Flying Biscuit Café?
An all-day breakfast and brunch restaurant founded in Atlanta’s Candler Park neighborhood in 1993, known for its biscuits, shrimp and grits, and Southern-inspired comfort food.
Your Town Could Be Next
The Patels saw a growing market, a morning crowd with nowhere to sit, and a brand with 30 years of biscuits behind it. If that sounds like your town, let’s talk.
Fill out the contact form at flyingbiscuitfranchising.com to start the conversation about becoming a Flying Biscuit franchisee.
