VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Five days a week, a group of locals meet up at their favorite breakfast spot in Virginia Beach off Independence Boulevard.
“It’s the best Hardee’s around,” said Virginia Beach resident, Kay Post.
Post said the biscuits at this location were second to none.
“It’s great, it’s fluffy I get what I want,” said local woman, Debbie Darwin.
It’s not just the warm buttery goodness that has their hearts — it’s the man who makes them. Anthony Robinson was recently named the 2023 Hardee’s National Biscuit Maker Champion. He came out on top against thousands of other biscuit makers across the U.S.
He was one of four finalists who competed in St. Petersburg, Florida for the title and a grand prize of $10,000. That’s a lot of dough!
“His personality is great — he always waves to us, and the biscuits have good quality,” said another resident Vicky Cartwright. “I like to bake, so I know when this biscuit is good.”
This is Robinson’s first National title, but he’s won the regional competition which includes Hardee’s in Virginia, North Carolina and Kentucky, four different times.
“We hear him coming out saying ‘hot biscuits,’ and it’s just a nice happy feeling in here,” Darwin said.
Robinson has been making biscuits from scratch for over 12 years.
“Little circles for folding, big circles for rolling,” Robinson said as he laid out his flour.
He clocks in at 4 a.m., and whips up dozens of batches until the breakfast hours are over.
“I’ve always had a love of cooking so that came natural, but doing the Hardee’s biscuits was something different,” Robinson said. “I did it. I fell in love with it.”
Robinson said his attention to detail, and following protocol, comes from his time in the Navy as a construction mechanic. He retired in 2006, and has been with Hardees ever since.
“That act of you knowing you have a job to do, being able to get up in the morning to do that job, and just the dedication you should have in any particular job that you have,” Robinson said. “I do take that from the military.”
The passion behind it all he said comes from his grandma, Lucinda Hunter, who passed away.
“I was the one that stayed back in the kitchen and watched her cook when my brother and my cousin went out and played,” Robinson smiled.
It’s that combo of love and discipline that keeps customers coming back for more.
“We know when he is not here because the biscuits aren’t as good,” Cartwright said.
“As long as Hardee’s is doing biscuits, I’ll be here,” Robinson said.
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