Charleston-based breakfast chain to open Forest Acres location

Listen to this article

A Charleston-based fast-casual breakfast restaurant is coming to Columbia.

Vicious Biscuit, the fast-casual breakfast concept with a focus on biscuit creations, is set to open this spring at 3246 Forest Drive in Forest Acres.

Vicious Biscuit has amassed a following of brunch fans with its menu of biscuit inventions and Southern hospitality, according to a news release. The restaurant touts menu items like The Vicious, The Fat Boy, Hen Solo and The Animal Farm.

“We are thrilled to bring Vicious Biscuit to Columbia,” Vicious Biscuit CEO and co-founder George McLaughlin said in the relase. “This vibrant city is a perfect match for our brand’s lively energy and unique spin on Southern classics. Above all, our team is committed to delivering unparalleled service to our guests. We can’t wait to welcome Columbia locals and visitors, and caution them that our over-the-top menu may cause extreme mouth-watering.”

A founder’s homecoming story

Vicious Biscuit’s soon-to-open Columbia location holds a special place in the brand’s growing portfolio: it was there that co-founder George McLaughlin opened his first franchise location of McAlister’s Deli, launching a career as a restaurateur and developer, according to the release. In 2004, McLaughlin opened The Original Italian Pie, housed in the exact location that Vicious Biscuit is now set to occupy more than two decades later.

Related content: ‘Forest-to-table’ restaurant opens in downtown Columbia

Related content: Whataburger is coming to Greenville — and has plans for more South Carolina locations

“It’s an immense privilege to serve the community whose support was so instrumental in my formative years,” McLaughlin said. “Coming back to Columbia is truly a full-circle moment for me on the path from franchisee to franchisor. I’m excited to return to these familiar roots, and for our local guests to feel equally at home at Vicious Biscuit.”

Baked up as a Charleston-born business in 2018, Vicious Biscuit’s success propelled a rise as the brand expanded from its Mount Pleasant flagship to additional locations in South Carolina and across state lines.

Fresh off its five-year milestone, Vicious Biscuit currently operates six locations in three states, with its seventh being the Forest Acres spot. Coinciding with its corporate development, the brand also recently awarded 38 franchise units in Utah, Florida, Ohio, Mississippi, Indiana, Louisiana, Alabama and Tennessee, according to the release.