After many bumps and turns in the road, businessman, creator and owner of Son of a Biscuit Oscar Mendez took a quick idea and tagline to create a fresh new take on brunch for the residents of downtown Hammond.

Mendez is originally from Arizona and followed his life’s journey, bringing him to Hammond. According to Mendez, while growing up, he resented the food service industry. After earning an associate degree, he chose to assist a family member in helping run their family restaurant after they reached out for aid. There, Mendez gained experience and skills in management and started to enjoy it. 

He decided to sign a three-year lease on a building where he began to spread his ideas and use his experience to improve the food service industry. 

“I’m trying to basically change things, a little bit how things work, which I know I can’t. I can’t change the whole world, but if I can change at least one little block or one little building, then I’m happy,” Mendez shared.

Southeastern student and current Son of a Biscuit employee Jake Leitz remarked, ”Oscar has created a good working environment by catering to his workers and customers. He’s always willing to listen to what people have to offer to better his business. He created an environment that is effective and efficient in selling to customers while also being an enjoyable workplace.”

The name, Son of a Biscuit, originated from a whiteboard of spontaneous ideas ready to evolve over time. His only plan was to create an original and uncommon restaurant in Hammond. 

“The reason why I decided to open is because I was tired of working for someone else. I had enough of it and I thought that I had so much in me to grow. I had so many ideas, but they always pushed me down and told me ‘No, that’s not gonna work.’ So I grew tired of it and one day I woke up and I said ‘Hey, I’m opening my own restaurant’ and that’s it. I quit my job and I found this building and I signed the lease,” Mendez said.

Along with the clever name, Mendez put a creative spin on many of the items on the menu. The names are spun around the theme of a twist on breakfast. Customers can come in to enjoy their signature “mutha clucka biscuit” or “omelet you finish.”

Leitz added, “The creativity of the menu definitely is a great aspect of the restaurant. I personally enjoy reading the menu, for it’s unique and easy to read because of the funny remarks. Lots of customers have made positive comments in regards to the menu so it’s definitely doing its job.”

Even with his experience, Mendez still received help from many members in the community as well as his family. The process was time consuming and tedious, but he said he owes most of his progress to a friend and business consultant affiliated with Southeastern, Brandy Boudreaux. 

Mendez said, “My friends help me out. Everyone helps me out. Everyone in Hammond helped me out.” 

Mendez is family-oriented and has filled his staff with dedicated Southeastern students along with family members like his brothers. He encourages every one of his workers to continue their studies and exceed expectations.  

He emphasized, “I love my workers. I love that chemistry we all have, that environment I created here. They are all my family.” 

Southeastern student and Son of a Biscuit bartender, Morgan Holmes said, “I absolutely love working at Son of a Biscuit! The college-town atmosphere is always so fun and makes coming to work enjoyable. Most of my coworkers are students at Southeastern as well, and there is never a dull moment there.”

With paperwork and permits obtained, Son of a Biscuit opened on Aug. 11, 2021. Mendez said he plans to continue opening restaurants in the area, starting with a current project in Ponchatoula scheduled to open later this month.

Gallery • 2 Photos

Haley Dupre'

Son of a Biscuit's bar contains a couple of TVs to allow for customer entertainment. Son of a Biscuit is a new brunch restaurant located in Downtown.

“This is not where I’m stopping, and I’m gonna keep growing more and more and more. I already told people no one’s gonna stop me anymore. I already got out of my shell,” Mendez concluded.