THE BISCUIT JOINT

2649 Washington Ave
St.Louis, MO 63103
(314) 769-9434

Social Media:
IG: @biscuitjoint @dinnerattheloft @_icook_
Facebook: The Biscuit Joint

Before the doors opened or the name stuck, Elliott Brown was already putting in work—early mornings, late nights, quiet doubts, and louder dreams. He didn’t open The Biscuit Joint to chase trends. He opened it to create something that felt like him. St. Louis-made, hands-on, and here to stay. The story starts with a biscuit—but what it becomes goes way beyond breakfast.

DELUX: Tell our readers what made you decide to become an entrepreneur?

TBJ: I’d day it runs in the family. Growing up my parents managed a business out of our house so I was around entrepreneurship from a very young age. We’ve always been encouraged to take the harder route and build something of our own so naturally whenever I got into cooking professionally it was always a goal of mine to own and operate my own restaurant.

DM: I’m always curious about how restaurants get their names. Where did the name of your restaurant derive from?

TBJ: I had a very clear idea of the food, the ambiance of the room and the vibe I wanted it to be however the name was probably the last piece. I called and texted my family and close friends with descriptions of what I wanted The Biscuit Joint to be. I had group chats with them and they throw out ideas, most of them I’d shoot down immediately. One day my homie Luke mentioned “The Biscuit Spot” and it got my wheels turning. I’ve always described it as being a place to kick back and hang out at which made me think of a “kick back joint”, a place youre just hanging with your homies and listening to music. The Biscuit Joint popped in my head and I instantly knew that was it.

DM: What led you to open a restaurant? Have you always wanted to be a restaurateur?

TBJ: 100%. I wanted to be a chef whenever I was younger but through high school I near really thought of actually going for it. After trying community college for a semester I knew it was never going to be the path for me. I decided to do a walk through at a culinary school that was near my house. I knew it was for me just a few minutes in. I vividly remember riding home with my parents afterwards talking with them about opening a spot of my own someday.

DM: Do you consider yourself a foodie, just a biscuit lover – can we consider you a food artist?

TBJ: Big time foodie. I’ve always enjoyed dining out but it really took over once I started inside real kitchens. I love trying new things. Its very important for becoming a good chef in my opinion.

DM: I see a lot of your dishes feature amazing looking biscuits. How did you decide on the dishes that are made on your menu?

TBJ: I wanted to stick to familiar biscuit options. Things people could resonate with. From there, I really just tried to focus on what made each of those so good in the past and then make the very best version I could of them with creative twists that could make them my own.

DM: There are a lot of great locations to open a business in St. Louis—- why the Washington Ave?

TBJ: I sort of stumbled upon the space honestly. I live in the neighborhood and my dad passed the space one day and took a picture of it. We went to see in person one day and I instantly knew it was for me. Separate of that, I love being in Midtown. I’ve lived in the area of over five years now and have seen the growth over the years and really wanted to be apart of it.

DM: Your goal is to change people’s expectations of breakfast options. What kind of expectations do you want your patrons to arrive and leave with?

TBJ: I think outside of the food, a great breakfast spot is somewhere that gives you energy for the day. It’s the first meal, the first stop or first human interaction of the day sometimes. I think there is a lot of power in that. We can be a welcoming environment for people that sets the tone for the day. You can get a lot of the same things we have at other spaces around the city but the vibe of the room and attention to details is what will set it apart and can be made unique.

DM: What type of ambiance are you trying to create within your restaurant?

TBJ: I want people to feel the welcomed and feel better leaving than when they arrived. You can always expect good music, high energy from the staff and I feel like people can really tell that myself and the team really care to put out the best food and experience that we can.

DM: Let’s say I’m not a huge biscuit lover, but I want to try your restaurant—- what dish would you recommend?

TBJ: You have to start with the OG and our signature cinnamon roll. The OG was the first sandwich made. Its a sausage, egg and cheese biscuit but we smash the breakfast sausage similar to a smash burger. That hard crust with the seasoning of toasted fennel and lots of sage make it so flavorful. The cinnamon roll was probably the most tested item and sort of happened by accident. I was out of cinnamon one day making some at home and decided to try it with a more savory spice blend that was predominantly cinnamon mixed with a bunch of sugar and love them. I tweaked the spices inin that blend to something less savory and was an instant staple to the menu. If you’re a first timer I’d recommend both.

DM: Breakfast is normally associated with being a traditional food option. Would you say you are trying to change the outlook on The Breakfast Option? Because this aint no MCD Sausage McMuffin?

TBJ: Yeah I just really think people downplay what it means to get good ingredients, good spices and treat them with intention. We aren’t doing anything crazy technique wise at the shop. We just really focus on every small detail and get good ingredients. Less is more if you do less, your best.

DM: Which Brunch option would you say represents The Biscuit Joint as a whole?

TBJ: I think the egg and cheese biscuit. Its classic. It never misses.

DM: You have a lot of “Brunch Options” here in St. Louis— what makes TBJ different from the rest?

TBJ: The atmosphere that we have created. Everybody is welcomed. Everybody gets the same treatment no matter who you are. You can feel the energy in the room whenever you walk in. It is far from any other options in the city and to be honest most restaurants you’ve ever been to. We play loud music, it’s a little chaotic at times but I think we’re very consistent with what you’re going to get from the atmosphere, to the food.

DM: What’s next for you as a restaurateur?

TBJ: Myself and my business partner, Brandon Panosh, both have much more in store. We operate another business Dinner at the Loft as well. We specialize in private dining and tasting menus. So between these two were pretty busy at the moment but we’d love to open more “joints”. Specifically “The Pizza Joint” or a couple other we have in mine. But more than that, one day we’d love to get back into fine dining more permanently and open a fine dining restaurant in the city.

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