Scarborough gains new breakfast spot

The Egg & I to open its first East Coast restaurant on Route 1 in mid-May, bringing up to 40 jobs.

SCARBOROUGH — A national breakfast chain based in Colorado is coming to the East Coast, starting in Scarborough.

Founded in 1987, The Egg & I boasts 51 restaurants in 10 states, but none any further east than Alabama. The Maine location, run by franchise owner Martin Mason, of Scarborough, is slated to open in mid-May, with a 116-seat dining room (and a 40-seat function room) located in the Little Dolphin Marketplace at 183 U.S. Route 1.

“We have another franchisee in Orlando, Fla., and it’s going to be a race to see which one opens first,” Egg & I marketing director Jan Barnett said Monday. “But either way, this will definitely be our first location in the Northeast. We are super excited about that.”

Barnett said the new restaurant is expected to open with 30-40 employees, serving up a menu that features 41 different egg dishes.

“There are very few in the a.m. eatery sector, and you really can’t compare us to an IHOP or a Denny’s,” said Barnett. “We are more upscale in terms of design, décor and, of course, the quality of our product.”

Mason, who is opening his first restaurant after many years as a district manager for Home Depot, said the career change was prompted by his own less-than-stellar dining experiences.

“My wife and I go out to breakfast a lot and we have found that in this area, there’s nothing we really like,” he said. “When we had an opportunity recently to try several Egg & I restaurants in Texas and Colorado, we thought the food was just phenomenal. That’s when we decided we needed one here in Maine.

“So, after 20 years at Home Depot and a great career, I decided it was time to pursue a different passion,” said Mason, noting that he’s long dreamed of owning his own restaurant.

Like Mason’s forthcoming Maine location, most Egg & I sites are franchised. Only eight stores are corporate owned. However, the company’s corporate parent, E&I Holdings Inc. – which acquired the rights to the The Egg & I concept from founders Rayno and Patty Seaser in 2005 – claims a distinctive leadership team. Chairman and CEO Bill Baumhauer led restaurant chains Champps Entertainment and Fuddruckers, as well as Planet Hollywood. President and COO Don Lamb held a similar post at Champps Entertainment and was director of operations for Ruby Tuesday.

Since taking over The Egg and I, they have grown the company from 17 locations and $17 million in system-wide sales to over $45 million today.

“It’s really a phenomenal team,” said Barnett. “I guarantee you, we’re bringing something Maine can be proud of.”

Construction on the Scarborough location will start Feb. 20.