FSR January 2023

BREAKOUT BRAND

top of that, their first unit in northeast Columbia posted the highest first-year sales of any location. The second store, which had the misfortune of opening just a month before Covid began, still managed to best the rest of the system in terms of its first two weeks of sales. While Young and his partners might seem aggressive in their growth, it’s worth mentioning they won’t expand without a solid system in place. For example, when another store became available for purchase about twomonths after the Rock Hill deal, they decided to pass. “We declined the opportunity because we didn’t feel that, from a personnel standpoint, we were in a position where we could do the right thing by the peo ple at Rock Hill,” Young says. “So we very much try to keep that front and center when we make these choices. We don’t want to get blinded by dollar signs and lose the team in the process.” Like Richardson, Young’s experience at a much larger brand gives him an edge in creating standards and best practices. It also helps him appreciate—and pro

tect—the human element that’s so cru cial to success at Eggs Up Grill. “If I were to say the biggest advantage Eggs Up Grill has over large corporate brands, it’s the footprint to start with. We’re not operating a behemoth of res taurants, like a lot of these casual-dining restaurants,” Richardson says. “Our foot print is part of what makes us feel a little bit more quaint, a little bit more local. If you walk in, we get the ‘it’s a diner with out feeling like a diner’ comments all the time. It’s Waffle House without feeling like a Waffle House.” A winning trifecta NextGen Casual breakfast brands are all the rage of the moment. (Need proof? Look no further than First Watch’s bil lion-dollar valuation in 2021.) Besides legacy brands like IHOP and Denny’s, most breakfast-centric ful l-service restaurants have, until recently, been regional players. But as breakfast booms, many, like Eggs Up Grill, are blooming into newer territory. At present, the cat egory has plenty of white space, but it

still raises the question of differentia tion further down the line. When asked, Richardson can point to three distinct features that separate the brand from the pack. The first is approachability. While many growing breakfast players push the envelope in terms of culinary innovation, Eggs Up Grill prides itself on serving high-qual ity yet familiar dishes. “Eggs Up Grill really appeals to a much broader guest base than our competi tors,” he says. “Our products are very approachable; you’re going to see menu offerings that you’re very familiar with. Our No. 1 selling dish is what we call the Classic, and it’s two eggs any way that you’d like them, some great tast ing breakfast meats, a side of our propri etary home fries, and your choice of toast or biscuit or bagel. It’s pretty standard fare, [like] waffles and pancakes. Now, we do them in fun and unique ways, but you’re not going to come to Eggs Up Grill for a flavor adventure in the context of ‘I want to try ingredients I’ve never heard of before.’” Second on that list of differentiators

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