Assisted by ASBTDC Lead Center at UA Little Rock
Consultant Martial Trigeaud
Planning, Persistence Pay Off for Delta Biscuit’s Begley
Hayne Begley is owner and operator of Delta Biscuit Company. He settled on biscuits because he wanted to bring something new to the Little Rock food scene while serving the Southern food he grew up on.
“I didn’t want to do barbecue or burgers. I wanted to stand out,” he said.
But he also wanted to serve up dishes that felt familiar.
“My food is from my experience, like the chocolate gravy the aunts on one side of my family would make,” said Begley.
A Place to Call His Own
Hayne’s experience includes 20 years in the restaurant and food service industry. He started talking to the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center about starting his own restaurant in 2016.
He lined up private equity funding, believing “it would make the business more sustainable long-term to have partners,” he said.
That didn’t happen. The private funding fell through. But Begley didn’t give up.
He made a new plan, with the help of ASBTDC.
‘From Concept to Funded’
Assisted by the center’s Martial Trigeaud, Begley shifted his vision to launching a food truck and getting a loan to fund it.
While he had extensive restaurant experience, Begley had never owned a business or put together a business plan. He relied on Trigeaud’s guidance.
“Martial pointed out some things I would never have thought of,” said Begley.
He took time to complete his business plan, do research, and build his credit, which helped him secure a Small Business Administration-backed loan from Simmons Bank in 2018.
Begley rolled out the Delta Biscuit truck in November 2018.
“The last 25% of the business plan and getting up and going were where ASBTDC was instrumental,” said Begley. “The biggest thing was the experience you all have helping so many people get from concept to funded.”
Benefits of a Good Business Plan
The effort he put into his business plan paid off at the bank and in peace-of-mind about his preparation. Putting together a thorough plan made him feel like “I’m not overlooking something vitally important. I’ve done my due diligence,” he said.
“Multiple times I have had people look at the business plan and say, ‘This is what we want to see. This is fantastic. You’ve answered questions we didn’t even think to ask.’”
Trigeaud and Corky Strode, formerly of Simmons, walked Begley through the SBA loan process, which tends to take longer than a conventional commercial loan.
For others considering an SBA loan, he has a word of advice about approval time: “Add an extra four weeks on to what you think, but be ready to move quickly once it happens. When you get your loan, move as fast as possible to being open, so you can take advantage of the terms,” he said.
Ready to Hit the Ground Rolling
Begley began building the Delta Biscuit brand two years before he had a truck through social media platforms, popup events, and tastings.
“When we opened, our name was there, and we weren’t having to build from scratch,” he said.
“I was very focused on building my brand identity early and often. I think I did two or three popups around town, where people would open their kitchen.”
Facebook and Instagram remain a vital part of his marketing strategy.
Taste of Home
Area food trucks are serving up “wonderful local food that you can’t get anywhere else,” said Begley.
Hayne grew up in Bald Knob and attended Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia. “I’ve been within an hour of Little Rock my whole life,” he said.
His cuisine reflects his roots in the Ozarks and the Delta on each side of his family. “It’s the food that I remember wanting and seeing.”
While biscuits are always on the menu, what comes with them changes. “We have a lot of fun with things, keep people excited about what we’re having,” said Begley, describing a biscuit sandwich with fried chicken, special sauce, bacon, lettuce, and tomato.
Delta Biscuit posts its schedule weekly on its website, social media, and the Mobile Nom app. Begley is baking up biscuits for more than breakfast now.
“We are all hours. We believe you can eat a biscuit any time of day.”
