Rise Biscuits & Donuts, Durham, North Carolina’s “best dang biscuits and donuts” concept, opened its first franchised location in Park West Village located at 1100 Market Center Drive, Morrisville, North Carolina.

The Morrisville location, run by franchisee Ty Gwennap, opened in late August to a strong consumer response and free donuts given out on site the day before its grand opening. It is the first of six Triangle locations (both franchise and corporate stores) that are set to open in the coming months.

In an interview with the Triangle Business Journal, Gwennap, who is referred to as one of Rise’s “biggest local fans,” says choosing Rise Biscuits & Donuts as his franchise investment was “an easy decision”.

Rise has partnered with Fransmart, the franchise development company behind the growth of brands like Five Guys Burgers and Fries and Qdoba Mexican Grill. Since launching a franchise program in 2014 the brand has a total of 11 stores in development in North Carolina, and will more than triple its existing presence in the Triangle area with the opening of its next four stores.

Rise CEO, Tom Ferguson, recently told Durham Magazine of his plans to franchise, “the brand will grow as big as it can while still being great.”

Rise Biscuits & Donuts was founded in November 2012, and was voted Best Biscuit in the Triangle three years in a row. The atmosphere is described as a mixture of “old school, new school, and our school,” incorporating trending menu items from around the country like cronuts, putting our own Rise spin on it, and perfecting everything by listening to customers through both in-store feedback and social media. The brand serves up unique biscuit and donut flavors in a to-go format that keeps their footprint at a minimum and keeps the long lines moving quick and efficiently.