How Famous Toastery's Flagship Location is Still Famous After 15 Years

In 2005, childhood friends Robert Maynard and Brian Burchill were ready to follow their passion for food and finally open a restaurant of their own. But this wouldn’t be just any greasy spoon. The idea was to start a gourmet breakfast and lunch brand that would serve “Famously Fresh” food made daily. After opening in Huntersville, North Carolina, and ultimately moving to a larger storefront in nearby Davidson, the Famous Toastery brand was born. Since then, the concept has been franchised and expanded all over the Southeast, but the Davidson location has stayed Famous in its community. Now, prospective Famous Toastery franchise owners everywhere can follow suit and open an equally beloved restaurant in their town.

“Robert and I have known each other since we were eight years old, and he is really like a brother to me,” said Burchill, Co-Founder and Chief Culture Officer of Famous Toastery. “I’ve been in the restaurant business since I was about 19 years old, and when we decided to open a restaurant of our own, we had some friends in the Davidson/Huntersville area who said it would be the perfect place. The town is so beautiful and historic, and the people and energy are amazing. It was exactly how I envisioned the dream of opening a restaurant. We recruited a chef, moved down here and within a week we had a restaurant.”

Right away, Burchill says the people of Davidson started to respond to the Famous Toastery ethos. “They weren’t used to that level of customer service — where every server is your server,” he said. “Everyone was working side-by-side, making connections, and the customers really loved watching the staff run the restaurant. Our goal was to be Famous in the area, and from the moment we opened the doors, people took us in, welcomed us and allowed us to become part of the community.”

In the 15 years since opening, Burchill says the Davidson Famous Toastery location has remained the heart of the entire brand. “It has really grounded us as we’ve grown,” he said. “I’ve seen couples who got engaged in our restaurant come in a few years later with their babies. I’ve seen those babies who I used to hold working for us. We’ve embedded ourselves in that community and that has become a staple of what we do every time we open a location.”

In fact, when Famous Toastery started franchising 10 years ago, Burchill says it was largely because customers kept saying they wished they had a location like the Davidson restaurant in their community. Fueled by that reputation, Famous Toastery has built a business model designed around the concept of “Be Famous,” encouraging franchisees to quickly become locally Famous as pillars of their communities, providing not only uncompromisingly fresh and decadent meals, but a hub for friends, families and neighbors to come together. Today, Famous Toastery is a 26-unit better breakfast, brunch and lunch franchise with locations all over the Southeast.

While Famous Toastery may be expanding, the Davidson location has maintained its “Famous” reputation in the community for nearly two decades. The restaurant continues to win local awards, such as the “Normy Award,” a poll that the brand has won five years in a row as customers vote for the best businesses and service providers in the region.

But that doesn’t mean the Davidson restaurant has stayed exactly the same this whole time. In response to the pandemic, for example, the Famous Toastery team decided to revamp and refresh the flagship location.

“Coming out of the pandemic, we were really looking for a new identity,” said Burchill. “The Davidson store specifically is nearly 15 years old, and the building itself is over 100 years old, so we thought it’d be a great place to start. It is also one of our busiest locations, so we wanted to really double down on that ‘Be Famous’ model.”

Burchill says most of the upgrades were cosmetic, including new paint colors, a more modern and “farm-chic” look and a brighter, more vibrant layout to promote daytime traffic.

“We wanted to update the colors, look and feel of the restaurant, but also wanted to stay true to the atmosphere that has allowed us to become so important to the community over the years,” said Lorna Martinez, Famous Toastery’s Director of Marketing. “For example, we added new colors but also exposed a beautiful brick wall that showcases the history of the building and the community at large.”

Similarly, Martinez says the Famous Toastery team wanted to revamp the menu while also sticking to the classics that guests already love. “Guests can expect the same level of quality, ‘Famously Fresh’ food, but with new and exciting additions to the menu,” she said.

The Davidson menu will now include a Protein Power Bowl for those looking for a healthier option and will also bring back an old staple in the Shrimp and Grits. The brand also partners with local vendor Abby’s Better Nut Butter for a new nut butter toast option.

All of these new upgrades, Martinez says, are about spearheading the message of “Be Famous” across every aspect of the Famous Toastery experience. “It is not just about making the brand Famous; it is about making everyone in the restaurant feel Famous as well, including the staff, the guests and the franchisees,” she said. “We want to pay homage to the Davidson community and show people that we are always there for them.”

Since reopening to the public in July, Burchill says the Davidson restaurant will continue, like it always has, to set the standard for all new locations moving forward.

“As the flagship location, this is a really meaningful moment for the refresh of the brand,” said Burchill. “It has been an incredible journey in Davidson over the past 15 years, and everything people love about the brand — ‘Famously Fresh’ food, the ‘Be Famous’ model — it has all come from that location and the reputation we have in the community. We are ready to usher in a new era of Famous Toastery, but it is coming full circle because it is all based on the restaurant that started it all.”

The cost to open a Famous Toastery franchise ranges from $575,500 to $999,500, including a franchise fee starting at $45,000. To learn about franchising opportunities, please visit www.bestbreakfastfranchise.com.