Few full-service brands can say that they grew their sales by double digits during the pandemic, but the Toasted Yolk is no ordinary brand. Founded in 2010 by current CEO Chris Milton and business partner Matt DeMott, the Houston-based brunch concept set out to bring quality products and a robust lunch menu to a segment that MIlton saw as sorely underserved in that regard.
“We wanted to create something that would be more upscale and lively, with flat-screen TVs, a bar and a chef-driven menu,” Milton says. “The Toasted Yolk concept proved to be a fast hit in Houston, and we started franchising the brand in 2017.”
That formula has grown the concept to 15 units, with nine more under construction or in the site selection phase. In the past few months especially, franchise inquiries have inundated Milton and his team and he thinks he knows why. For one, The Toasted Yolk boasts some impressive numbers, with an average check size of $16 per person and AUVs at $1.76 million despite the brand’s 15 restaurants closing at 3 p.m. There’s also the fact that a robust and quality lunch menu leads to 20 percent of sales taking place after 11 a.m.
But Milton says that the biggest differentiator for his brand is that its restaurants are open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. That has upside for franchisees on multiple levels. For one, it makes their life easier knowing that by 4 or 5 p.m. every day, no customer or employee is left inside the restaurant. Secondly, while other franchise opportunities come with the headaches associated with trying to staff a restaurant in 2021, Milton reports that when the Toasted Yolk posts for a management position they sometimes receive over 100 applications.
The results speak for themselves in this regard: Milton reports that every franchisee they’ve signed a deal with has signed a new deal to open more restaurants.
“From the moment I began franchising with The Toasted Yolk, I have felt like we are part of a team,” says Bret Baumgartner, who owns a Toasted Yolk in Beaumont, Texas, and will be opening a second location soon. “The whole organization feels like a family, from the top on down to the restaurant level. And from day one I’ve been able to get home at a reasonable hour and spend time with my actual family—overall, franchising with The Toasted Yolk has been a life-changing experience.”
The momentum is palpable—The Toasted Yolk opened four stores during the pandemic and will open six more in 2021. The brand has expanded past Texas, signing agreements or opening stores in Tennessee, Alabama, and Florida, with locations in Kentucky and Alabama in the works. Milton says the momentum is evidence of the true partnership between his brand and its franchisees.
“I’ve been involved with brands in the past where someone from corporate is always looking over your shoulder,” Milton says. “That’s not the way we do it here. If somebody from our office is in your restaurant, it’s because they are there to help. They’re there because your success as a franchise owner is ultimately our success.”
For more information, visit The Toasted Yolk website.
