The breakfast, brunch and lunch concept gears up for continued growth in the Tar Heel State.
Since its founding in 1997, Eggs Up Grill has grown from its original location in Pawleys Island, South Carolina, to more than 36 locations across the Southeast. Most recently, the breakfast, brunch and lunch concept announced a six-restaurant deal signed by David and Mary Ashton Dukes for the Wilmington, North Carolina market. It’s the biggest multi-unit deal so far in the brand’s history. The development agreement comes as the brand experiences major growth across the southeast, following the company’s acquisition by private investment firm WJ Partners in 2018.
The Dukes are some of the latest franchisees to join Eggs Up Grill’s ever-growing system with their first location in Wilmington, set to open before the end of 2019. The husband and wife duo were married in December 2018 and have since been busy prepping for their restaurant opening, sharing their excitement to pursue the Eggs Up Grill opportunity.
“We’re excited to bring this neighborhood-focused restaurant to the Wilmington community,” said Mary Ashton. “There’s still a lot of room for growth and we’re looking forward to diving into the community and growing with the brand with our plans for expansion.”
Eggs Up Grill remains on track to reach its goal of 100 locations by mid-2022 and recently signed a third restaurant in the Raleigh, North Carolina market with Rob and Scott Johnson, brothers and franchisees with Eggs Up Grill, who own locations in Fuquay-Varina and Holly Springs, North Carolina. After discovering the breakfast, brunch and lunch restaurant, Scott called his older brother Rob about franchising with the brand before even leaving the parking lot, and the rest is history.
Jerry and Tammy Storms, a husband-and-wife duo fell in love with Eggs Up Grill while spending time at the North Myrtle Beach location, and will fulfill their life-long dream of owning a breakfast restaurant in 2020 by opening the doors to their first Eggs Up Grill in Wake Forest, North Carolina. The new franchisees claimed that they were looking for, “something that reminds you of home, (without the dishes)…which is exactly what they found with the brand.
Franchisee Brandon Padilla, a former store manager at Lowes is opening his first restaurant in Shallotte, North Carolina by mid-December. Similar to the Dukes, Padilla has enjoyed a long-standing tradition involving the brand—one which influenced his decision to sign on as a franchisee. “I lived in the Myrtle Beach area in 2005 and used to take a bike ride that ended up at the Eggs Up Grill location in Pawleys Island,” said Padilla. “I fell in love with the concept and food. They had a map on the wall and guests would stick a pin in their hometown.” According to Padilla, the map was punctuated with pins from visitors from across the country.
“For those visiting Myrtle Beach, it wouldn’t be considered a vacation if they didn’t visit Eggs Up Grill,” Padilla said.
Regarding the decision to open a location in Shallotte, Padilla feels that the town matches Eggs Up Grill’s persona. “One thing I love about Eggs Up Grill is that it has a great hometown feel,” he said. “It’s personalized to every guest. I think that would speak volumes in a small town like Shallotte.” Looking ahead, Padilla sees himself opening multiple restaurants with the brand––his first in North Carolina and potentially others in South Carolina and Georgia.
Eggs Up Grill continues its focus on finding new franchise partners to develop in markets throughout North Carolina, targeting specific areas that include Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, Winston-Salem, Greensboro and Asheville.
“We’re consistently growing throughout the Carolinas and look forward to expanding in new markets,” said Eggs Up Grill CEO Ricky Richardson. “Our positive, supportive relationship with our franchise partners is crucial to making the brand one of the fastest growing in the category, across the southeast.”
About Eggs Up Grill:
Eggs Up Grill is home to the whole neighborhood, serving smiles from sunup through lunch. The aromas of freshly brewed coffee, savory bacon and hand-cracked, farm-fresh eggs on the griddle, and warm, attentive team members will make you feel right at home. We are “neighbors serving neighbors” daily from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Recently ranked as the no. 1 breakfast franchise by Entrepreneur magazine’s Franchise 500® for its outstanding performance in areas including unit growth, financial strength and stability, and brand power, Eggs Up Grill is experiencing record growth across the Southeast. Originally founded in Pawleys Island, S.C., by restaurateur Chris Skodras, Eggs Up Grill now has 47 locations and is headquartered in Spartanburg, S.C. In 2018, private equity firm WJ Partners acquired Eggs Up Grill, building the team and priming the brand to rapidly grow in more communities across the U.S. with plans underway to reach the 100 restaurant mark by 2023. For more information, visit eggsupgrill.com.
The startup costs for an Eggs Up Grill franchise range from $462,330 to $653,680. The franchise fee is $39,000. To learn more about franchising with Eggs Up Grill, visit https://www.eggsupgrill.com/franchise/.
