The Maple Street Biscuit Co. at 662 Central Ave. in downtown St. Petersburg will convert to a new brunch brand called Biscuit Belly by the first quarter of 2027. It's the nearest Maple Street location to Clearwater, according to WFLA.

Cracker Barrel announced Tuesday it sold the Maple Street Biscuit Co. brand and assets tied to 35 locations nationwide to Louisville, Kentucky-based Biscuit Belly. Sixteen of those locations will close permanently. The St. Petersburg restaurant is among those slated for conversion rather than closure.

Biscuit Belly co-founder and CEO Chad Coulter said the acquisition caught even him off guard. "Acquiring an iconic brand like Maple Street, one of the original gourmet biscuit sandwich concepts, was not on my 2026 bingo card," Coulter said in a company release. He added that Maple Street's existing locations and trained staff made the deal a natural fit.

Conversions will begin immediately in the greater Cincinnati area and Richmond, Virginia, according to USA Today. The chain, founded in 2019 by Chad and Lauren Coulter, operates 15 locations across the Southeast and serves scratch-made biscuit sandwiches, biscuits and gravy, brunch cocktails including mimosas and espresso martinis, and specialty coffee. The acquisition will more than triple its footprint, with plans to exceed 60 locations by the end of 2028, according to Fox Business.

Maple Street Biscuit Co. was founded in Jacksonville in 2012 and acquired by Cracker Barrel in 2019 for $36 million. The brand peaked at 68 restaurants by the end of fiscal 2025 before Cracker Barrel began pulling back, closing 14 underperforming locations in September 2025, according to FSR Magazine. By the time of the sale, 51 restaurants remained, the Jacksonville Daily Record reported.

Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Masino said the sale lets the company focus on its flagship brand. The company expects to record $37 million to $39 million in noncash charges and $6 million to $8 million in cash costs tied to the exit during its fiscal fourth quarter ending July 31, according to Fox Business. Maple Street accounted for less than 2% of Cracker Barrel's annual revenue.

The St. Petersburg location is open Sunday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Cracker Barrel has not released the list of which 16 locations will shut down or specific renovation dates for the St. Petersburg conversion beyond the early 2027 target.