Kate Rozen and Geoffrey Giordano sign on with the breakfast, brunch and lunch franchise to foster a sense of family in the community; first of three restaurants open by early 2021.
Eggs Up Grill, a breakfast, brunch and lunch restaurant concept, is continuing its rapid expansion, entering the Orlando market with husband-and-wife duo Kate Rozen and Geoffrey Giordano. The couple, who lives in Hunter’s Creek, Florida, has joined Eggs Up Grill as franchise partners to bring three restaurants to the area starting in the spring of 2021.
Rozen, who has 20-plus years of global advertising experience, and Giordano, who has an extensive hospitality background, decided their professional backgrounds were the perfect match for the South Carolina-based brand. Additionally, they were drawn to Eggs Up Grill’s community focus and family-friendly atmosphere.
“Our love for our family and our neighbors is something that we hope seeps into every aspect of the guest experience when you walk through the door,” Rozen said. “The mix of backgrounds that we share professionally, and the fun we have as partners and parents, make us confident we can build the right team and successfully recreate the magnetic Eggs Up Grill experience. Eggs Up Grill has a long history of turning first-time guests into long-term fans, and we’re excited about bringing that experience to our community. Eggs Up Grill is all about neighbors serving neighbors.”
Rozen and Giordano are actively searching for their first restaurant location to open Spring ’21, followed closely by their 2nd and 3rd locations.
Since first opening in 1997 in Pawley Island, South Carolina, Eggs Up Grill has grown to 43 restaurants across the Southeast. The current pandemic challenges have not slowed down Eggs Up Grill’s growth. Since June, the brand has signed agreements for ten new locations, including six in Virginia, Rozen and Giordano’s three in Orlando, and one in Huntsville, Alabama.
The brand will open a record 9 new restaurants this year, including 3 before the end of 2020. The development pipeline has more than 40 restaurants. With 11 quarters of same-store sales growth through 2019, the brand earned the eleventh spot on Restaurant Business’ Future 50 restaurant concepts.
Eggs Up Grill was also recently named to FSR Magazine’s 12 Restaurant Chains Primed to Outlast COVID, due to its consumer appeal, focus on franchisee success and its rapid response to the increasing demand for off-premise dining. Within days of the pandemic, Eggs Up Grill launched online ordering, boosted partnerships with third-party delivery, rolled out improved packaging, and helped franchisees adapt for curbside ordering and pickup. Due to these programs and the tireless work of their franchise partners, off-premise sales have more than quadrupled in sales volume, exceeding 20 percent of total revenues even as dine-in restrictions began easing in May.
“The unique appeal of Eggs Up Grill, both as a restaurant concept and business model, is gaining real traction,” said Todd Owen, Vice President of Franchise Development for Eggs Up Grill. “Franchising with us is an incredible opportunity. Now more than ever people want to be spending time with their families, and as they venture out and begin to enjoy meals together again Eggs Up is the perfect place to do it. We want to offer our franchisees a good investment with the potential to foster community like that.”
