Sunny Street Café INFO

Sunny Street Café® is a family-owned and operated breakfast and lunch concept founded by Mike Stasko Sr. that opened its flagship restaurant in Columbus, Ohio. The restaurant began as Peaches in Bradenton, Florida, and was discovered by Mr. Stasko in 2006. He loved the idea of a home-style Americana restaurant and decided to purchase the franchise. Stasko moved the restaurant to Columbus, Ohio, and changed the name to Rise & Dine. After a few short years, Stasko rebranded for a final time, creating what is now known as Sunny Street Café. Above all else, Stasko wanted the opportunity to work with his family, and with his own restaurant, he was now able to do just that. Since opening their doors, family has been a key component to the way Sunny Street Café operates, as it has also become a staple in the communities it’s part of. To learn more about Sunny Street Café, visit https://sunnystreetcafe.com.

Sunny Street Café is made up of 10 corporate-owned units and 13 franchise locations. Across 2021 and 2022, the brand saw record growth and reported double-digit increases in sales. All of their franchisees are currently turning profits and a handful of them are currently looking to add another location. They’re a growing concept and because of that, they have support processes in place to help new franchisees run a successful business.

Sunny Street Café currently has restaurants in Ohio, Missouri, Texas, Illinois and Alabama. The brand is looking to grow in its current markets and potentially expand into the South and Southeast, specifically in the Tampa, Florida, area. By the end of 2023, they’re looking to sell between two to three franchises.

Sunny Street Café is not only family-owned, but they’re also community-driven. The brand plays a valuable part in the communities it’s a part of by providing a friendly atmosphere for family get-togethers, business meetings and the weekend brunch crowds.

All of their food is handmade from scratch using fresh ingredients. They also believe in maintaining a work and life balance, and that’s reflected in the restaurant’s 6:30 am to 2:30 pm hours of operation. They want their employees to be satisfied with their work, while also being able to be involved with their families and community.

The breakfast category has been growing in popularity recently, and with that, so has the success of places like Sunny Street Café. They’ve been expanding for more than 15 years, and as a result, so has their customer base. Before the breakfast market became as saturated as it is today, it was an underrepresented category, and Sunny Street Café has been around long enough to fixate on delivering high-quality food with friendly and welcoming service.

The ideal Sunny Street Café franchise owner is someone who is passionate about the brand and has a strong eye for quality. Sunny Street Café President Scott Moffitt believes there’s no true blueprint for what they’re looking for, but he described many of their current franchisees as being outgoing and having an entrepreneurial spirit. Moffitt says they’re looking for people who are involved in the day-to-day operations and are actively involved in the cafes. If you’ve got those characteristics, Moffitt says you’ve got a great chance of being a successful restaurant operator.

Sunny Street Café makes it easy for franchisees to open and operate their locations. They walk franchisees through the entire process from start to finish. From offering to help find a location, securing financing, and providing in-depth training dedicated to ensuring the restaurant is ready to open. Even after the initial opening, they will stick around to make sure things are running smoothly and offer extra support if needed. Because they’re a smaller brand, they vow to provide direct face time with stakeholders and give franchisees as much attention as they need in order to be successful. Additionally, while they hold formal evaluations at least twice a year, they also make an effort to personally visit each restaurant location on a frequent basis.

The total investment necessary to begin the operation of a Sunny Street Café ranges from $598,000 to $956,000, including a $35,000 franchise fee.

Sunny Street Café earned its place on Restaurant Business Online’s The Future 50 list in 2019 for being one of the top 50 fastest-growing small chains in America.