‘Famous’ breakfast, brunch and lunch restaurant coming to Columbia
After on-and-off plans to open in the Midlands for several years, Charlotte-based restaurant chain Famous Toastery now plans to open a new location in Columbia in 2021.
In 2005, Robert Maynard and Brian Burchill founded the restaurant that specializes in “higher-end breakfast, brunch and lunch without the high end cost,” said Maynard. Every item on the menu is made-to-order and never frozen.
Maynard, CEO of Famous Toastery, said he’d been looking at areas in the Midlands to expand to for a while, and now 2021 is the year. Though the new location has not been announced, Maynard said that he previously looked at areas in Lexington, Chapin and on Devine Street.
In 2017, the a franchise location opened on Sparkleberry Road in northeast Columbia. Around the same time, the chain also signed a lease for a much-anticipated location on Main Street in downtown Columbia, but those plans fell through.
The Sparkleberry location closed on May 27, 2019, according to a company spokesperson.
Famous Toastery is known for its motto, “every server is your server” and Maynard said the restaurant has perfected the system of waiters serving all customers, not just waiting on a specific table.
The restaurant will bring about 35 jobs to the area.
There are five current Famous Toastery locations in South Carolina and 18 locations in North Carolina. The company plans to bring five new restaurants total to South Carolina in the next few years.
Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, Maynard said that the company had to,” embrace the punch in the face.” Though Famous Toastery had losses like most restaurants, Maynard said that he is confident things will get easier and the franchises will continue to grow.
As for food, Maynard’s favorite item on the menu is the avocado eggs Benedict with pico de gallo and cheese.
“We’re just excited for the opportunity and excited to get into the town and start serving people,” Maynard said.
This story was originally published December 11, 2020 at 2:13 PM.