Another Broken Egg Goes From Building a Pandemic Playbook to A Successful System Wide Reopening

Another Broken Egg Cafe [ABE], the 72-unit, upscale, breakfast, brunch, lunch concept, was well on its way to having a record year in franchise growth and new unit openings when it was impacted just like the rest of the restaurant world by COVID-19.  When COVID-19 hit, the executive team at Another Broken Egg used its natural disaster readiness protocol as a roadmap to address the ever-changing needs brought on by the unprecedented situation. 

Starting in late March, ABE immediately suspended franchisee royalty collection and completely abated ad fund collection. The corporate team had frequent calls with franchisees throughout the first weeks of the shutdown, going over policies, procedures, and best practices. The ABE operations team went into action to launch system-wide online ordering through OLO in a matter of three weeks. Agreements were put into place within 10 business days with three of the major third-party delivery services. The franchise company was also able to assist owners in navigating the PPP process and secure funding for all of their operators, as well as provide guidance on rent restructuring.

“I was amazed how quickly the corporate team rallied and provided the tools we needed to operate through this situation,” said Jake Alleman, one of the brand’s multi-unit operators. 

After seeing significant sales declines from mid-March thru mid-May due to COVID-19, sales started to rebound across the system starting in late May as dining rooms reopened, and the off-premise initiatives took hold. These trends have continued as the most recently completed operating period reported Same Store Sales declines of just under 7%, despite dining room capacities continuing to operate at 50% or less. In addition to the rebound in sales for existing cafe’s, Another Broken Egg also opened 3 new cafes during this time period and is on track to open an additional 4-6 new cafes before the year ends. 

“The support was far superior than anything that we expected. Another Broken Egg was right there with us every step of the way providing leadership when it was needed the most,” said multi-unit operator Mike Craddick.

The end result of what Another Broken Egg calls its “New Dawn” initiative has been a cohesive franchise operation with the tools needed to operate in this new environment. The company continues to look for opportunities to better serve its customers and franchisees.

“We are back, better and stronger than ever. We continue to open new locations and look forward to resuming the pre-COVID-19 momentum we enjoyed as we move through the remainder of 2020 and into 2021,” said Paul Macaluso, President and CEO of Another Broken Egg Cafe.

The Orlando, Florida-based Another Broken Egg Cafe operates 71 locations in 13 states and is the largest and fastest growing upscale, breakfast, brunch, and lunch franchise in the United States.

For more information on franchising opportunities with Another Broken Egg, contact Jeff Sturgis at 407-502-6867, jeff.sturgis@anotherbrokenegg.com, or visit anotherbrokeneggfranchise.com.

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Another Broken Egg Cafe
Another Broken Egg is an upscale breakfast, brunch and lunch restaurant that specializes in Southern-inspired menu options and signature cocktails. The concept is one of the fastest-growing daytime-only franchises in the country. Learn More