Inventory Management and Strategic Planning

Larry Williams, Chief Supply Chain Officer, Biscuitville Fresh Southern

At Biscuitville Fresh Southern®, we pride ourselves on serving our guests fresh, locally sourced ingredients. That includes our scratch-made biscuits, baked fresh every 15 minutes in our 74 restaurants spread across North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.

As the chief supply chain officer, it's my job to ensure each of these 74 restaurants has the inventory – everything from the butter and locally milled flour in our biscuits to the cutlery and straws used to enjoy our food and beverages – needed to serve our guests the fresh southern taste they’ve enjoyed since 1966.

Unlike many of Biscuitville's competitors, we self-distribute inventory to our restaurants from our central warehouse facility in Burlington, N.C. The 78,000-square-foot distribution center acts as the hub for Biscuitville, receiving all inventory and distributing daily to our locations. In my job, I have an eagle's eye view of our supply chain teams – administrative, purchasing, transportation, receiving, and order fulfillment – it's evident to me every day how vital each team is to ensure our restaurants have the necessary inventory.  

It will not come as a surprise to anyone in this day, and age that challenges in inventory management arise almost by the minute in the supply chain/foodservice industry. Although we've noted recent improvements, we frequently deal with challenges related to transportation, supply vs. demand, inflation, and labor shortages among those we receive our product from.

To minimize supply chain challenges, restaurant support center leaders, operations management, field operations leaders, and culinary operations meet each morning to discuss any supply chain issues and how we can best support one another. We set priorities to ensure the day’s most critical needs are met. 

"We’re constantly looking toward the future and adjusting our processes to be able to better serve our Biscuitville guests"

Of course, technology has played a significant role in improving inventory management across the food service sector, and Biscuitville is no exception. Beginning with the manufacturer and ending with our Biscuitville guests, we have invested in technology and systems to improve just about every aspect of our processes. We understand that having real-time tracking data for each step of the distribution process is key to our ability to make quick adjustments that can make or break the guest experience.

At Biscuitville, we know our ability to overcome supply chain obstacles is due in large part to our self-distribution model. This allows us to be agile and make quick adjustments when problems arise. If one of our suppliers is facing production delays or shortages, we can adjust our delivery cycle without waiting for a third-party warehouse/delivery organization’s response. We are lucky to work directly with incredible local suppliers with whom we have strong alliances. The close-knit relationships we maintain allow us a greater understanding of their own obstacles, making it possible to work toward solutions together.

Biscuitville has come a long way from our early days' manual processes. Our new distribution center uses innovative information technology that is key to the continual improvement of our inventory management. In 2023, innovative information technology is at the core of our function and is key to our inventory management success.

Looking ahead, we foresee information technology being an even more significant player in our inventory management strategy, with automation moving into all sectors of the work we do. We’re constantly looking toward the future and adjusting our processes to be able to better serve our Biscuitville guests.