Famous Toastery, a 25-unit better brunch franchise brand known for its “Famously Fresh” menu, announced it has signed a franchise development agreement with local entrepreneurs, Divyan Patel, Jeffrey Folckemer, and Drew Van Zante. Details of the agreement include opening five Famous Toastery units in Northeast Florida over the next four years. The first Famous Toastery restaurant will open by the end of 2023.
The latest Famous Toastery investors are active members in the Northeast Florida business community with a number of different enterprises. Divyan Patel is a serial entrepreneur who owns and operates a Planet Smoothie in St. Johns and two Coldstone Creamery units near Murabella and St. Johns. Jeffrey Folckemer has been a residential and commercial contractor for the past 10 years, as well as a realter with development and local community knowledge. Drew Van Zante is co-owner of Kingdom Home Builders, as well as an owner and operator of McDonald’s franchises in the St. Augustine area.
“We are thrilled to start our journey with Famous Toastery by bringing this hugely successful brunch concept to Northeast Florida,” says Divyan Patel, owner of Famous Toastery in Northeast Florida. “I’ve been involved in foodservice operations for many years, and this is an exciting breakfast and brunch restaurant model that offers incredible food and beverages, unrivaled customer service and a memorable guest experience to all ages and taste preferences.”
Founded in 2005 in Huntersville, NC, best friends Brian Burchill and Robert Maynard opened a breakfast restaurant in a small house where fresh ingredients and comfortable atmosphere were center stage. In 2013, the restaurant brand evolved into a franchise still focused on fresh, high-quality ingredients and with a special focus on attentive service.
Famous Toastery not only owns brunch, it makes it Famous: The brand believes food should be both decadent and nutritious, uncompromisingly fresh, and served to order quickly with service that’s as satisfying as the menu. With an emphasis on perfecting classic breakfast items and injecting fun in beverages, Famous Toastery prides itself for serving up a fresh, made-from-scratch and craveable breakfast and brunch menu in a welcoming atmosphere.
Its “Famously Fresh” menu features a bevy of brunch favorites like omelets, pancakes, waffles, French Toast, benedicts, plus an array of sandwiches, burgers, wraps and salads. In addition to its mouth-watering breakfast and lunch fare, Famous Toastery also boasts a beverage line of specialty coffees and alcoholic brunch cocktails, like mimosas, Bloody Mary’s, bellinis and Irish Coffees. As a perfect destination for anyone who appreciates delicious, home-style cooking, the restaurant’s menu consists of inclusive recipes expertly crafted with the freshest ingredients, such as 100% grade A pure maple syrup and freshly-squeezed orange juice. It also touts in-home cooking with in-house oven-roasted turkeys.
“We welcome Divyan, Jeffrey and Drew to our franchise family and look forward to them building the brand in Northeast Florida, and becoming a mainstay in the community for years to come,” says Mike Sebazco, president of Famous Toastery. “Franchisees like Divyan, Jeffrey and Drew have joined Famous Toastery because of the continued popularity of brunch amongst consumers and the brand’s healthy profit margins and strong unit economics due to a single shift business concept.”
Today, Famous Toastery operates in three different states, has six locations in development, projects to have 26 locations operating by the end of 2023, as well open five additional locations in 2024. The brand aims to bring brunch, enjoyable hospitality, and community under one roof to other markets in the country with the help new and existing franchise owners. With an emphasis on perfecting classic breakfast and lunch items and injecting fun in beverages, Famous Toastery not only owns brunch, it makes it famous.
