A national chain of upscale brunch restaurants is finally making its way to Augusta.
Another Broken Egg Café is slated to open later this month along the Washington Road corridor, near the Augusta National. The Garden City has been on its radar for several years, says CEO Paul Macaluso,
“This one has been longer than usual,” he said, noting that normally a new franchise would be up and running about six months after the lease is signed. In the case of the Augusta location, the restauranteurs had to wait for construction of the space, an outparcel of the Washington Walk Kroger. “It has been two, over two years, since we identified the site.”
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Ron Green founded the restaurant in Mandeville, La., a city across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans, in 1996. This is reflected in its seafood-infused menu, which includes dishes like lobster and brie omelette with champagne butter sauce, and seasonal offerings like shrimp and eggs benedict.
The menu also includes staples like shrimp and grits, chicken and waffles and cinnamon roll French toast, which Macaluso said is one of the eatery’s biggest sellers.
The Beekman Group, a New York-based equity firm, bought it in 2017 and eventually moved headquarters to Orlando, Fla.
The chain now has more than 80 locations, mostly concentrated in the Southeast, with three in the Columbia area, five in the Atlanta area, one in Macon and another in Pooler. There are also three locations farther west, in Texas, Arizona and California.
“Obviously, the Masters is a big thing, but it’s just a few weeks a year,” said Macaluso about Another Broken Egg’s attraction to the Augusta area, stressing the community’s receptiveness. “As we develop across the Southeast and other markets around the area, we’re seeing a great response to our brand … and we identified the Augusta market as a market that we think would really enjoy our brand and would support.”
Rather than reservations, customers can sign up for a remote waitlist online, through which they can enter their names, receive a wait time, and arrive at the café closer to the end of their wait.
Another Broken Egg Café Augusta, located at 1095 Alexander Dr. #100, will host a small friends and family event on Feb. 24, to benefit Harvest Food Bank, before opening on Monday, Feb. 26.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
