Southern breakfast chain in just 3 states beats McDonald's, Chick-fil-A for best in America

For the fourth year in a row, Biscuitville has claimed the title of America's best fast-food breakfast, beating out national chains despite a footprint that remains concentrated in just three states.

The Southern breakfast chain earned the top spot in USA Today's 10Best Readers' Choice Awards, beating out larger chains like McDonald's (No. 4), Chick-fil-A (No. 5), Burger King (No. 6) and Wendy's (No. 7).

Kristie Mitchell, Biscuitville's chief marketing officer, said the recognition is particularly meaningful because of the competition in the fast-food breakfast category.

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"We have earned it, but we don't want to live in a space where we come to expect it," Mitchell said.

Biscuitville recently opened its 90th restaurant and currently operates in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

Biscuitville has 90 locations in three states: South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. (iStock)

Mitchell said Biscuitville eventually hopes to expand into states such as Tennessee and Georgia, though the family-owned company plans to focus on growing within its existing markets for the next several years.

Biscuitville's calling card remains its scratch-made biscuits, prepared fresh every 15 minutes from a three-ingredient family recipe that Mitchell said was passed down to the company's founder by his grandmother.

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But Biscuitville's appeal, Mitchell argues, goes beyond the biscuit.

"We have no microwaves," she said. "There's no instant anything in our kitchens."

Biscuitville's biscuits are baked from scratch every 15 minutes. (Biscuitville)

Eggs are hand-cracked, and Mitchell said nothing arrives at the restaurants partially cooked simply to be finished there. The approach requires more planning and labor, particularly when customers still expect the speed of a drive-thru window.

The result, Mitchell believes, taps into something larger than convenience.

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"We get comments all the time from our feedback line that says, 'Your biscuit tastes just like my grandmother's biscuit,'" she said.

Celebrity chef Jason Smith, who is a contestant on the upcoming season of Fox's "The Floor," agrees that Biscuitville belongs among the country's breakfast heavyweights.

A Biscuitville executive says it's the people who make it America's top spot for fast-food breakfast. (Biscuitville)

"Do I agree it's the best breakfast biscuit sandwich I've ever had?" he told Fox News Digital. "Well, no, but it would come in a high second on my list."

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His complaint comes down to one ingredient: butter.

"That's what makes the best Southern biscuits," the Kentucky-born chef said.

A celebrity chef considers Biscuitville's breakfast sandwiches "a high second." (Biscuitville)

Smith instead gives his personal top spot to Tudor's Biscuit World, a regional chain with locations including West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio. Still, he praised Biscuitville's biscuits as tender and "super soft" and singled out its Ultimate Country Ham Biscuit as a favorite.

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For Mitchell, the enduring popularity of biscuits, grits, eggs and other Southern breakfast staples comes back to an experience that can resonate even with people who didn't grow up eating them.

"I think it's bigger than just the biscuit," she said. "Yes, we are Biscuitville, but it's bigger than just the biscuit. It's all the things that go between that biscuit."

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Four straight years suggest plenty of Americans agree.

Peter Burke is a lifestyle editor with Fox News Digital. He covers various lifestyle topics, with an emphasis on food and drink.