FSR January 2023

BREAKOUT BRAND

if

ever a restaurant dining room embodied the overall brand spirit, it would be Eggs Up Grill. The cheery interior, with its robin egg blues, yolk yellows, gingham tiles, and blonde hardwoods, is at once inviting and homey. In so many ways, the design speaks to what makes the restaurant different from others in the breakfast category, both legacy chains and fellow NextGen Casuals. Eggs Up Grill has the relaxed vibe of a diner but with a decidedly more polished look. At the same time, the restaurant boasts offerings and price points that fall below other emerging breakfast brands.

“The breakfast space has gotten really active

a value perspective, [and] a friendliness standpoint.” A TGI Fridays alum, Richardson came on board in 2018, shortly after WJ Part ners acquired the then 26-unit brand and moved its headquarters to Spartan burg, South Carolina (which also hap pens to be the homebase for Denny’s). With the combination of Richardson’s experience, private equity funds, and an established brand reputation, Eggs Up

Grill has swelled to nearly 60 locations with another dozen in construction. And that’s just the beginning. The company plans to open 20–25 units next year, pushing its footprint as far north as Richmond, Virginia, as far south as central Florida, and as far west as Texas. Covid may have delayed its expansion timeline, but not by much. Richardson estimates Eggs Up Grill will hit 200 loca tions by the end of 2026, bringing the

over the last decade. The category had a lot of legacy players in it,” says CEO Ricky Richardson. “There’s a sense of sameness across all of those. … So it cre ated the opportunity for people to come in and do a similar type of cuisine with one of those dayparts—breakfast and lunch—and be a specialist in that and do it better from a quality standpoint,

The Classic

JANUARY 2023

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FSRMAGAZINE .COM