Sunrise chicken biscuits lauded by Food Network

The steady stream of orders and greetings from employees weren’t the only sounds coming from Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen this month.

The humble drive-through restaurant on East Franklin Street was filled with the buzz of surprised and happy employees after their Fried Chicken Biscuit received the title of the best breakfast in the state by the Food Network Magazine.

Led by manager Randy Owen, who has been making biscuits for 30 years, the crew bakes biscuits from scratch every morning at 5 a.m.

At 6 a.m., they open their window to customers with 20 batches of prepared biscuits — that’s 900 hot biscuits ready to be devoured.

The smell of baking biscuits wafts down Franklin Street, drawing in all kinds of customers. Employee Mason Gayton has served customers from California, Ohio and Missouri.

Other patrons come so regularly that employee Luna Escamilla, who has been working at Sunrise for four years, can remember their regular orders before they do.

“It gets crazy from time to time,” Escamilla said.

Saturday mornings are the kitchen’s busiest hours.

“You’ll have a line all the way past the bridge, and it’ll be nonstop for two to three hours,” Gayton said.

Owen attributes the restaurant’s success to its consistent high-quality product.

“We don’t feel the need to make any changes to our product. It’s been working for 35 years, so why change it?”

Sunrise biscuits have also been recognized by Maxim Magazine and the “Splendid Table,” an American Public Media radio show.

Anoop Desai enjoyed the biscuits so much that he gave Sunrise a shout out on American Idol. Sunrise returned the support by naming an Anoop Desai month, which helped bring in a lot of fresh faces, Escamilla said.

The Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen in Chapel Hill is one of many locations, all individually owned.

But the Food Network has noticed Chapel Hill for more than just its biscuits.

The network selected Sugarland to be a part of its new series “Kid in a Candy Store,” premiering July 12. Host Adam Gertler’s visit to the bakery will air at 8:30 p.m. July 19.

This comes after the sweet shop was featured on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” in May as one of the best dessert places in America.

PBS did a piece on Franklin Street in the past, focusing mainly on businesses on the West End, said Meg McGurk, assistant director of the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership in an April interview.

But all the fame isn’t going to change Sunrise.

“We like what we do,” Owen said. “We do things simple and try and keep the consistency the same.”

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.