Daytime dining has quietly become one of the most durable growth stories in foodservice — and Eggs Up Grill just planted its flag at the top of the category. With the opening of its 110th restaurant in Spears Creek, South Carolina, the Spartanburg-based brand now claims the title of largest actively franchising breakfast, brunch and lunch franchisor in the United States.
That milestone caps a second quarter that read like a growth playbook: 22 consecutive quarters of positive same-restaurant sales, four new openings, eight fresh development commitments, and an 8.1% jump in average unit volume from 2025 to 2026. For operators and investors watching where the smart money is flowing, the signal is hard to miss.
Why Daytime Dining Keeps Winning
Breakfast, brunch and lunch have proven remarkably recession-resistant, and Eggs Up Grill's numbers underscore why the segment continues to attract experienced operators. The brand has now surpassed 200 restaurants open and in development, with more than 90 additional units committed or under construction.
Crucially, this isn't first-timer growth. More than 60% of Eggs Up Grill franchise owners now operate or develop multiple restaurants — a strong vote of confidence from people who already know the model's economics firsthand.
"Reaching 110 restaurants and becoming the largest actively franchising brand in our category is a significant milestone, but it's really a reflection of the strength of our franchise partners, our restaurant teams and the communities that continue to embrace Eggs Up Grill," said Ricky Richardson, CEO of Eggs Up Grill. "We're seeing strong demand from experienced operators, both new and existing, who recognize the long-term opportunity within the breakfast franchise segment, and we're committed to growing with the right partners in the right markets."
Multi-Unit Momentum Across Key Markets
The quarter's development activity reveals a brand deliberately courting seasoned hospitality players. Among the standout deals:
- Metz Group, a family-owned hospitality organization with decades of experience running nationally recognized restaurant brands, opened its first Eggs Up Grill in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania — the start of a broader multi-unit partnership as the brand pushes into the Northeast.
- Longtime franchise partner Ken Bates committed to developing five additional restaurants.
- Franchise owner Uber Quezada signed for a second location less than a year after debuting his first Eggs Up Grill restaurant in December 2025.
National Recognition Piles Up
Beyond unit growth, Q2 2026 brought a wave of third-party validation that matters to any prospective operator vetting the concept:
- No. 7 on Entrepreneur's Top 10 Full-Service Restaurant Franchises list
- No. 289 on Technomic's Top 500 Restaurant Chains report
- Inclusion on the Inc. 5000 list
- 8 new franchise commitments
- 8.1% increase in average unit volume from 2025 to 2026
- 4 new restaurant openings
Why It Matters
For restaurant operators, procurement leaders and hospitality investors weighing their next move, Eggs Up Grill's quarter offers several practical takeaways. First, the daytime-only model — with no dinner service, no late-night labor, and simpler alcohol and staffing profiles — continues to deliver appealing unit economics and quality-of-life advantages that are pulling multi-unit franchisees toward the category. That 8.1% AUV lift is the kind of top-line growth that funds reinvestment and reassures lenders.
Second, the 22-quarter same-restaurant sales streak signals staying power, not a pandemic-era blip. For an institutional buyer or foodservice executive, consistency like that de-risks supplier relationships and long-term development bets. And with 60%-plus of owners going multi-unit, the message to experienced operators is clear: the payback profile is convincing enough for insiders to double and triple down.
"Our momentum continues to validate the strength of the Eggs Up Grill model," Richardson said. "We're building a brand that delivers strong economics for franchise owners, an exceptional experience for guests and meaningful opportunities for experienced operators looking to grow with a category leader."
Founded in Pawleys Island, South Carolina, Eggs Up Grill has served breakfast, brunch and lunch as "home to the whole neighborhood" for more than 25 years, and its growth curve suggests the daytime category still has plenty of white space.
The Takeaway for Operators
If you're evaluating full-service or franchise growth for 2026, the daytime segment deserves a serious look — and Eggs Up Grill's trajectory is a useful benchmark. Explore our related coverage of the top full-service restaurant franchises to consider and see how the brand ranked among the industry's leadership moves shaping hospitality right now.
Are you seeing the same pull toward daytime dining in your market? Drop a comment and tell us where you think the breakfast-and-brunch category heads next.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Top 40 Under 40” for founding American Wholesale Floral. Politz is also the founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
