Valerie Knospe, a team member at Hardee's in West Union, Iowa, has been named the 2026 National Biscuit Baker Champion, winning a $10,000 cash prize after besting three other finalists at the brand's annual competition held earlier this month.
The contest, which works through a ladder of local and regional rounds before a national finale, tasks each competitor with producing 52 fresh biscuits in just 15 minutes — a format designed to test both technical precision and consistency under pressure. Knospe represents Northland Management LLC, a franchisee that operates 120 Hardee's locations across the region.
The Competition Format
The four national finalists came from across the system. Diego Ramos, backed by franchisee John McGinnis Group, represented Lexington, Ky.; Amanda McIntosh, affiliated with J&S Restaurants Inc., came from Dayton, Tenn.; and Dwight Henry, a company-operated restaurant employee, represented Jefferson, N.C., under CKE Restaurants. Second-, third-, and fourth-place finishers each received a $2,500 prize.
"The key to a great biscuit is to be thorough, follow every step, and take pride in serving biscuits that are of high quality," Knospe said. "You must be patient and realize that you are preparing the biscuit to start the guests' day off on the right foot."
Why It Matters for Operators
For QSR operators, internal competitions like this one carry measurable workforce value. Recognizing skilled hourly and shift-level employees with structured tournaments — and meaningful cash awards — is an increasingly common tool for franchisors looking to improve retention and elevate execution standards across large, distributed networks. Hardee's Made From Scratch™ Biscuits are a core brand differentiator, prepared daily before dawn at each location, making biscuit-baker skill directly tied to guest satisfaction and morning daypart performance.
Alisa Gmelich, president of Hardee's, framed the competition as a celebration of the craft behind the product. "Our biscuits start with the talented team members who bring pride and care to every batch they bake before dawn," she said. "The Hardee's Biscuit Baking Competition celebrates the skill and passion behind every biscuit, from its golden color and fluffy texture to the unmistakable taste our guests love."
The recognition program fits a broader pattern in restaurant workforce engagement strategies that tie product quality to employee pride and brand identity. For franchise groups managing dozens or hundreds of units — like Northland Management's 120-location footprint — having a system-wide competition gives operators a concrete way to surface and reward top performers across their portfolio.
Hardee's, a brand under parent company CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc., operates more than 1,400 restaurants across 31 states. CKE's combined portfolio of Hardee's and Carl's Jr. spans more than 3,600 franchised or company-operated locations in 44 U.S. states and more than 35 countries. For more on QSR franchisee talent and training trends, the category continues to see investment as operators compete for reliable morning-daypart staff. Coverage of similar initiatives has also appeared in Food & Beverage Magazine, which tracks workforce and product innovation across the foodservice sector.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
