LOUISVILLE, Ky (WDRB) -- Restaurants LouVino and Biscuit Belly have become wildly popular, and you might be surprised to hear the owners had little to no experience before opening their first business.
Customers are quick to tell you why standing in line at Biscuit Belly is worth the wait.
"I mean the food was amazing, and it came in such amazing quantities," 9-year-old Max Villaveces said.
Villaveces and his family said word of mouth brought them in.
"I had the pancakes. I like how it came with a little side of fruit," Villaveces said.
Customers said the draw is not only the comfort food, but the Southern hospitality.
"I like the community tables that's really nice," Amanda Villaveces, Max's mother, said.
"It's very good for social interaction. You can make new friends," Max Villaveces said.
The brains behind the operation are two Georgia natives and pharmacy school graduates, Chad and Lauren Coulter.
"It originated from our home state of Georgia. You go to any gas station, or little country store and they're just selling these nasty greasy biscuits. They're delicious," Chad Coulter said.
The couple told WDRB upon moving to Kentucky they had no idea they would ever end up in the restaurant industry.
"I took a job up at Sullivan College of Pharmacy to teach and that's what brought us to Louisville," Chad Coulter said. "We went from pharmacy to restaurants with essentially zero experience."
The Coulter's said their first business venture was a "paint-and-sip" shop.
"We just thought, oh the paint and drink thing would be something fun," Lauren Coulter said.
It eventually evolved into LouVino, which has expanded to five locations, but even with that, the owners felt they needed to add something more to their plates.
"We were like let's do this biscuit thing we've been talking about for three or four years and here we are today," Chad Coulter said.
The Coulter's had hoped, but did not expect their first Biscuit Belly location to become so popular so quickly. In just six months, the couple is already expanding -- opening up a second Biscuit Belly in St. Matthews and another in Colonial Gardens.
The entrepreneurs are sharing their recipe for success.
"As cliche as it sounds, I would say surround yourself with good people. I mean they are the most important asset you can have. Both from an employee standpoint and a mentor standpoint. Ask a lot of questions before you pull the trigger and trust your gut," Chad Coulter said.
The couple said hard work does pay off and taking a leap of faith can lead to much more than you ever expected.
"You never know even without experience what you can do," Chad Coulter said.
The owners told WDRB they are looking at expanding Biscuit Belly even further. Possible locations include Lexington and Indiana.