Bojangles awarded $6,000 each to Maria Dimas and Edith Chavez as the 2026 Best of the Best Biscuit Makers at the chain's September franchise convention in Orlando, Florida.

The championship, held at a convention for the first time in its roughly 20-year history, drew six finalists from a pool of 16 regional winners. Three on-stage "Roll-Offs" paired one company-store maker against one franchisee-store maker every hour, with celebrity chef Robert Irvine emceeing and franchisees or area managers judging the output.

What does the championship actually measure?

Each contestant started with identical ingredients: self-rising flour, shortening, a "secret" seasoning, pre-measured buttermilk, and Bojangles' signature "biscuit magic" leavening. The dough must be rolled, cut, and ready to bake within seven minutes. After baking, judges checked for a 1½-inch height, a 3½-inch width, a golden-brown color with a slightly bumpy texture, and a minimum yield of 45 biscuits per batch. Taste is not a criterion; spectators, free to try the warm rounds, rendered their own verdict.

"The height of each biscuit should be 1½ inches and the width, 3½ inches," said Kimberly Bradham, Bojangles' biscuit training manager and a stage judge. She measures both with a ruler.

How does Bojangles scale biscuit production?

The Charlotte, North Carolina-based quick-service chain staffs 4,500 Certified Biscuit Makers across 890 restaurants in 24 states. Scratch biscuits emerge from the ovens every 20 minutes between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m. Standard batches hit a 45-biscuit minimum, while the busiest stores push well beyond that. The Conover, North Carolina, location—where corporate-side winner Dimas works—holds an internal record of 2,000 biscuits per day.

"Customers come to my store and ask for my biscuits. I put a little extra love into each batch," Dimas said. On weekends she produces 18 batches between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Speed matters after the dough rests. Team members rub the flour-shortening blend until particles reach pea size, then knead lightly before rolling. Once rolling begins, the seven-minute clock starts. The chain has codified this as a 49-step procedure, with prep work streamlined by premade bags that eliminate on-site shortening measurement.

"We used to measure out our own shortening, but now the biscuit makers start with what we call 'the premade bag,'" said Mike Morris, Bojangles' director of operations support and communications.

How does the contest fit the chain's labor model?

Cross-training is the entry point. Finalist Lindsey Mangold, an 11-year Bojangles team member and mother of four from Knoxville, Tennessee, began as a night-shift cashier and rotated through the biscuit station during a roughly four-week training program. On a typical shift she turns out about 20 batches, each yielding 47 to 55 biscuits.

"I found it interesting to be cross-trained," Mangold said. "Before I came to compete for the championship, I made a lot of biscuits to practice, but being on stage was just like being in the store."

Many locations also operate a "Biscuit Theater" viewing window so customers can watch the makers work the dough.

Where do the biscuits fit on the menu?

Biscuits anchor both the breakfast daypart and all-day LTOs. They form the base of the Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit, the Cajun Filet Biscuit, and the sweet Bo-Berry Biscuit. The chain's recently launched Donut Bites addresses dough scrap: excess rounds that cannot be reworked are rolled into balls, fried, dusted with sugar, and served with salted caramel dip.

What did the winners take home?

Dimas, a 15-year Bojangles veteran, took the corporate title after four prior major contests. Chavez, a franchisee-side maker from the Yadkinville, North Carolina, store, took the franchise title. Both collected $6,000 checks and were honored the following morning at a franchisee awards ceremony that recognized top AUVs, guest-count growth, and opening-week sales. CEO José Armario welcomed them to the stage.

"I feel like a celebrity," Dimas said upon winning.

Bojangles will look to its next Biscuit Maker Championship to reinforce the throughput discipline that separates top-volume stores from the system average and to extend the no-waste Donut Bites concept across additional dayparts.