A Day in the Life of Famous Toastery Means Establishing a Breakfast Refuge with a Local Identity

A day in the life of Famous Toastery owner Jason Serkin looks a little different today than it did when he opened his first location three years ago. Back then, Serkin and his wife were hands on in the day to day operations.

“My wife and I worked the first store all the time. She focused more on the front of the house checking on servers and guests and I worked primarily in the back as quality control,” Serkin explained.

In the beginning, Serkin admits that he was nervous due to low brand recognition in the area, but he and his wife strived to make the business a success and establish themselves in the community.

Fast forward three years and Jason and his wife are successfully operating two stores in South Carolina with their third opening at the end of April 2017. He says that ownership today is more of a supervisory role than it was back then.

“When we opened the second location we had to get managers. Now we go to the stores and see how things are going. We manage the managers now,” Serkin said.

Because of Famous Toastery’s business hours, the Serkins are able to not only enjoy their restaurant daily, but their family as well.

“The nice part is we close at 3 p.m., and we have a life outside of work and we get to spend time with our kids now. We have our weekends, and it doesn't consume our life like it did when we had one store with no managers. We really try to manage the managers and let them manage the employees. We check on the staff, the kitchen, check how the food looks and how the employees’ attitudes are,” Serkin shared.

Even when Serkin and his family aren’t actively in the back managing the locations, they still like to keep an eye on how things are running.

“Sometimes we sit and eat so we can get a real feel for how things are going,” said Serkin.

Famous Toastery manager Korrinda says that the Serkins go out of their way to make sure that the staff not only feels like they are supported, but valued as well.

“I started three years ago as a server for a year and I’ve worked my way up the chain. They are willing to work with me and help me grow as a manager,” Korrinda said. “We are all family. Jason and Michelle would go out of their way for any of us.”

Their management style coupled with the brand’s breakfast and lunch service only model allows the Serkin’s to establish themselves and Famous Toastery as members of the community day by day. They make themselves available to residents in the area, whether it be donations to silent auctions or charity events like cookies for cancer and autism awareness fairs.

The Serkin’s want the community to know that they can rely on them, and this attitude is precisely why they have created a local feel to the franchise model.

“People are surprised that we are a franchise--we don’t have that feel. We have quality service and food and it feels like a mom and pop store and it is important to us to keep it that way. We stay involved in the community and that helps people feel like we are local and that we are a staple in the community,” explained Serkin. “People can rely on us to help. When they come in and ask us to be a part of community events we always say ‘yes’ and lend a hand. People appreciate that.”