Johan Engman has mastered the art of the full-service breakfast. His Breakfast Republic, Fig Tree Café and Breakfast Company concepts in Southern California had lines out the door for breakfast and brunch before the pandemic, and robust business resumed once indoor dining returned.
Lines were so long, in fact, that most customers gave up and went somewhere else.
A solution to that was Eggies, a grab-and-go concept with breakfast sandwiches, two breakfast “jars,” coffee and churros that Engman opened next door to two Breakfast Republic locations.
Then he realized that he could just open a takeout window within existing restaurants at a fraction of the cost.
Now with four Eggies locations, Engman sees a bright future for the brand, not only within Breakfast Republic locations but his other breakfast-and-brunch concepts, too, and he plans to open another five to six locations — along with seven more Breakfast Republics, and one more Fig Tree Café and Breakfast Company, by the end of 2022.
Engman recently discussed the economics of running an Eggies, his plans for growth, as well as his strategy for retaining and finding new employees in the face of this tight labor market.
Contact Bret Thorn at [email protected]
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