Fast-Growing Breakfast Chain to Open 7 New Restaurants—Here's Where
If you've been on the hunt for a new spot to score omelets, buttermilk pancakes, and Belgian waffles, prepare yourself for some exciting news. A fast-growing breakfast chain that serves all of these classic morning offerings (and more!) is currently gearing up for a major expansion push.
Eggs Up Grill recently announced a development agreement that will bring seven brand-new locations to the South. Of the new locations—which will be operated by existing Eggs Up Grill franchisee Conley McIntyre—six will open in Charlotte, N.C., while the seventh will open in Travelers Rest, S.C.
McIntyre already owns six Eggs Up Grill locations in South Carolina, and his first restaurant in the Charlotte area is slated to open later this year in Monroe County.
"The greatest testament we can ask for is when existing franchisees continue to invest and believe in the power of the Eggs Up Grill brand," CEO Ricky Richardson said in the announcement. "Conley is an award-winning, influential, humble, and loyal franchisee who embodies the spirit of our brand and culture, and we are proud to have him leading our growth in Charlotte."
The planned Charlotte and Travelers Rest locations only represent a small portion of Eggs Up Grill's ambitious expansion pipeline. It currently operates 81 restaurants across states including the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, Texas, and Mississippi, and it has another 100 locations under development or committed to opening over the next 10 years.
These exciting expansion plans were announced during a period of rampant prosperity for Eggs Up Grill. Although its first location opened in 1997 and it began franchising 20 years ago, the chain saw a whopping 25.2% increase in sales and a 20.3% increase in locations from 2022 to 2023, Nation's Restaurant News reported.
Its booming success is due, at least in part, to several changes made at the company after it was acquired by the private equity firm WJ Partners in 2018. WJ brought on a new CEO—former TGI Fridays president Ricky Richardson—and the chain began building out more resources to help its franchisees.
"Like a lot of entrepreneurial-led companies, there was little structure and very little resources. The reputation was there, but we had to invest in those resources and structures to get to our shared vision about the brand's future opportunities," Richardson told Nation's Restaurant News in a June interview.
Eggs Up Grill isn't the only breakfast chain that's growing at a rapid clip right now. Earlier this year, First Watch announced plans to open between 51 and 57 new restaurants in 2024 and enter the Las Vegas and New England markets for the first time. Additionally, Another Broken Egg Cafe unveiled a development deal in January that will bring 13 new locations to Florida, Kansas, North Carolina, and Texas over the next few years.
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