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Breakfast, Biscuits and Culture: Leading the Biscuitville Workforce

March 18, 2026

| All, Leadership

https://blackboxintelligence.com/resource-library/episode-12-biscuitville/

Breakfast, Biscuits and Culture: Leading the Biscuitville Workforce

Episode 12 | 02/04/25

Episode Overview

In the fast-paced world of QSR, Biscuitville stands out—not just for its Fresh Southern® food, but for a unique operating model that fundamentally changes the employee value proposition.

In this episode of Lessons from the Field, Black Box Intelligence CMO Andy Smith sits down with Belinda Kyle, Chief People Officer at Biscuitville. A restaurant industry veteran with deep roots in operations (McDonald’s, Macaroni Grill), Belinda shares how Biscuitville’s commitment to a 2:00 PM close time—“Life After Two”—creates a competitive advantage in recruiting and retention.

Belinda and Andy dig into the realities of modern workforce management, moving beyond theory to discuss practical strategies for reducing turnover, building a leadership pipeline from within, and using industry benchmarking data to validate culture rather than just chase numbers.

What You’ll Learn

  • The “Life After Two” Advantage: How Biscuitville’s unique daypart strategy (closing at 2 PM) creates predictable schedules and drives retention in a turnover-heavy industry.

  • Ops-Led HR: Why starting in operations provides the necessary “boots on the ground” perspective to create HR policies that actually work in the restaurant.

  • Data vs. Instinct: How to use benchmarking data to validate internal performance without blindly chasing industry averages.

  • Simplifying Engagement: Why Biscuitville focuses on one or two actionable behaviors from engagement surveys rather than overwhelming GMs with complex action plans.

  • Succession Planning: The systems and competencies required to successfully promote hourly shift leaders into management roles.

Key Quotes

“You learn very quickly that people strategies must work in a real restaurant and not just in theory… That operator lens has helped to keep me grounded and focus on what’s practical as well as scalable.” — Belinda Kyle, Chief People Officer, Biscuitville

“Pay is really the price to get in. Leadership quality and how the work gets done are what sustain retention.” — Belinda Kyle, Chief People Officer, Biscuitville

About the Guest

Belinda Kyle is the Chief People Officer at Biscuitville. She is an award-winning restaurant industry veteran with a career that began on the front lines of operations. Before joining Biscuitville in 2022, Belinda held leadership roles at major brands including McDonald’s, Macaroni Grill, and Dinosaur Bar-B-Que. Her unique background allows her to blend operational discipline with strategic human resources, focusing on leadership development, retention, and maintaining Biscuitville’s family-owned culture across 85+ locations in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.

JOHN BRITTAIN​

Vice President, Information Technology​

John Brittain joined the Biscuitville family in July 2021. As VP of Information Technology, John’s primary responsibility is to establish and maintain healthy relationships with the IT Department’s third-party vendors and to measure their effectiveness in supporting Biscuitville operations. When issues arise, John streamlines solutions and then establishes methods to optimize both the vendor’s and Biscuitville’s performance. Born in Hickory, NC, John graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a degree in business administration and marketing. John continued his education with certifications such as Six Sigma Green Belt and Procurement and Contract Management. Today, John lives in Browns Summit, NC, with his wife, Kate, and two daughters. With a passion for keeping active, John enjoys playing in his sand volleyball league and is an avid basketball fan.

KATHIE NIVEN​

President, Chief Executive Officer​

Kathie Niven joined Biscuitville in 2011 and led the brand’s transformation to its FRESH SOUTHERN® identity. She became President in 2018 and CEO in 2021, guiding the company’s growth to more than 85 restaurants across the Carolinas and Virginia while strengthening its people-first culture. Under her leadership, Biscuitville has earned national recognition, including being named USA Today Readers’ Choice Best Fast Food Breakfast in 2023, 2024 and 2025. Niven previously held executive roles with Quiznos, Arby’s, Burger King and Krispy Kreme. A graduate of Elon University, she also completed advanced leadership training through the Center for Creative Leadership, UNC Kenan-Flagler and Harvard University. She lives in Greensboro, North Carolina, with her husband, Drew, and their two children.

KEVIN BENNETT​

Chief Financial Officer

As Chief Financial Officer, Kevin supports Biscuitville’s strategic growth initiatives and manages the company’s financial plans. He and his teams provide financial and operational insights into the business, as well as accounting, finance, IT, risk, and compensation-support services. Prior to Biscuitville, Kevin gained years of financial leadership and multi-unit retail experience as Director of Finance with Circle K Stores and Assistant Controller with The Pantry, operating as Kangaroo Express. He began his professional career as an auditor after earning his BS in accountancy at Villanova University in 2003. Kevin earned his MBA at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business in 2016, and he’s a Certified Public Account, licensed in North Carolina. Kevin and his wife, Megan, enjoy time with their kids, Molly, Ryan, and Lila.

BELINDA KYLE

Chief People Officer

Belinda Kyle joined Biscuitville in 2022 as Chief People Officer, bringing more than 30 years of hospitality operations and human resources experience. Her career includes leadership roles with Treasure Island Resort & Casino, Romano’s Macaroni Grill and Dinosaur Bar-B-Que. Kyle holds a degree in human resource management from the University of Phoenix and is a SHRM Senior Certified Professional. Active in her community, she volunteers with the American Cancer Society and lives in Lexington, North Carolina..

BLAKE JENNINGS​

Chief Development Officer

Blake Jennings became Biscuitville’s Chief Development Officer in 2023 and oversees real estate development, construction, facilities and IT. Since joining the company in 2018, he has played a key role in building the development pipeline supporting Biscuitville’s accelerated growth. Jennings previously worked in mixed-use and multifamily development with Kane Realty Corporation and held finance and asset management roles at First Potomac Realty Trust. He earned a finance degree from Wake Forest University’s School of Business and lives in Greensboro, North Carolina, with his wife, Melanie, and their three children.

JIM MCCURLEY

Chief Restaurant Excellence Officer

Professional Background
Jim McCurley was named Chief Restaurant Excellence Officer in 2023. He has been a member of the Biscuitville Fresh Southern® family since August 2019, when he joined the organization as the Vice President of Culinary Operations.

McCurley’s experience includes work as an Executive Sous Chef during his school years, serving as a Regional Executive Chef in Washington, D.C., and then joining P.F. Chang’s for the next 17 years, helping them transform from a start-up to over 225 locations nationwide. Before joining Biscuitville, McCurley was Senior Director of Operations for Tupelo Honey Café, based in Asheville, North Carolina.

Education
Born and raised in Providence, Rhode Island, McCurley attended Johnson & Wales at their Providence campus, earning his Bachelor of Science in restaurant/food services management and his MBA in international business. In addition to his formal education, McCurley is a Lean Six Sigma Certified Black Belt, Certified Lean Practitioner, Agile Certified and a Certified Scrum Master.

Community and Family
Today McCurley lives in the Greensboro area and enjoys spending time with family and friends.

KRISTIE MITCHELL

Chief Marketing Officer

Professional Background
Kristie Mitchell was promoted to Greensboro-based Biscuitville’s Chief Marketing Officer in December 2023. Prior to her promotion, she served since 2018 as Vice President of Brand and Marketing. A member of the company’s Leadership Team, she heads the work groups that generate media, advertising, point of purchase materials, public relations, social media, website, consumer analytics and all aspects of design.

When she joined Biscuitville in 2015, Mitchell was asked to co-lead the company’s comprehensive rebranding of all restaurant remodels, rebuilds and new locations. Today, all the properties across the multi-state enterprise feature the rebranded design features. Mitchell was closely involved with the brand design of the new 70,000-square-foot distribution center in Burlington, which opened in 2022.

As a member of the product innovation leadership team, Mitchell partners closely with Culinary Operations to determine featured menu items and how they will be promoted to drive incremental lift through paid and organic media along with on-premises. She led the initiative to create the “Life After 2®” campaign, focused on employee satisfaction and recruitment, and the trademarked external initiatives like “The Flavor of Local®”, “Farm to Drive-Thru®” and “Home of the Biscuit Window®.”

LARRY WILLIAMS​

Chief Supply Chain Officer​

Professional Background
Larry Williams joined Biscuitville Fresh Southern® in May of 1989. As Chief Supply Chain Officer, Williams is responsible for Biscuitville’s Internal Distribution System, overseeing Distribution Center Operations, Warehouse Management System technology, Procurement and Transportation.

Community and Family
Williams and his wife, Diana, have two children and five grandchildren. Together they enjoy traveling and spoiling their grandkids.

KIM AVERY

Vice President of Operations​

Professional Background
Kim Avery was promoted to Vice President of Operations in February 2024. She now leads Biscuitville’s field operations with oversight of all restaurants in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. She reports to President and CEO, Kathie Niven. Avery joined Biscuitville in 2020 as an Area Director, and since then has stepped into positions with increasing responsibility. She was named Region Director in March 2022 and became Region Vice President in December 2022.

Community and Family
Avery was born and raised in Florida and moved to North Carolina in March 2020 to join the Biscuitville team. She currently resides in Stoneville, North Carolina, with her three cats. In her spare time, Avery is an award-winning mixed-media artist who donates her art to auctions supporting her favorite causes.

BURNEY JENNINGS

Executive Chair

In 1996, Burney took over the reins of the family business from his father, Maurice, as President and CEO. Today he continues to serve as Executive Chair of Biscuitville Fresh Southern®, a company that’s grown under his leadership into an $80 million business with over 70 locations (and counting). A graduate of Elon University, Burney serves on its Board of Trustees and has received its “Young Alumnus of the Year” award, as well as its “Legends of Business” award. He’s also active with the Greensboro Rotary, Greensboro Sports Council, and Greensboro Partnership. Triad Business Journal named Burney one of its “2016 Most Admired CEOs in the Triad.” He and his wife Dina, also an Elon grad, have four children: Blake, Bailey, Mary Frances, and John. In his free time, Burney likes spending time with his family in the mountains of North Carolina and also enjoys running, hiking, and golf.

Biscuitville

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