Another Broken Egg Cafe Keeps Community at its Core

Linda and Homer Biggers have taken an active interest in supporting the Pensacola, Florida area. As the resident franchisees for Another Broken Egg Cafe, the duo has fostered strong ties to the local market as well as the individuals living in it. Their restaurant stands out from the pack with its strong commitment to consistency, quality and customer service.

In building the success of their location, Homer credits the strong support of the franchise system that provides them with the tools necessary to flourish. He said, “We are proud of our franchise. Their guidance in the initial design stages and reputation is what got us on top to start with.”

Since then, the couple has continued to grow their business and has established a welcoming and rewarding experience for their neighbors to enjoy. 1851 Franchise connected with Homer to learn more.

How important is it to give back to your local community as it relates to growing your business?

Homer: We live here. It is our community. From a business point of view, we want the community to grow, be successful, be clean, be profitable and we want to be a part of all that. Their growth is our growth.

We target the local population. They are here year-round and so are we. We love the tourists but they go home. Tourists are generally a bit more lavish in their spending. They tend to add more beverages, buy more souvenirs and top end items. They buy the lobster omelets over the bacon and eggs – but they’re here for only a season. The locals are our bread and butter. We promote through them at every possible point. They become our friends.

What local or charitable outreach efforts have you made in order to connect with your local community?

Homer: We advertise in the high school sports programs and contribute to the PTA raffle. We have a discount called Loyal Locals where we give them a little punch card and it gets punched every time they come in. The tenth time, the meal is free.  

We have military presence here, so we also give 10 percent off to all members of the military and first responders. We offer free beignets to the hard working nurses that come in after the night shift. Our coffee mugs also have a partial depiction of the Blue Angel Navy flyers.

In October, we support our local breast cancer organization by selling pink mugs and donating the proceeds to benefit local breast cancer patients. We are not an outsider who comes in to take local community members’ money — we are a mom and pop operation within a franchise who live here and share scores on their daughter’s math score and when their dog had puppies.

What are your top ideas or tips to market your local business?

Homer: Of course, social media matters. We utilize it but not all that much. The traveling public looks at it and comments that online is where they found us — but it is mostly made up of comments left by our local customers that they read as they are traveling in.

What advice would you give to other franchisees who are just starting their businesses to best set themselves up for success on the local level?

Homer: Involve yourself in things like the Lions Club, Rotary, Chamber of Commerce, Soroptimists or PTA. And don’t go in there trying to promote yourself or your business — that is total turn off. Help them with their causes. Help the PTA raffle with a couple of mugs to auction off at benefits. Help the Lions Club collect glasses. Host a Chamber luncheon. When we first opened, we hosted a Ronald McDonald House Charities event after hours.

We treat every customer with delight and pleasure, not just the pretty ones and the VIPs. We pay particular attention to the people with walkers and they appreciate it. They are people, too. Our society has a tendency to overlook the elderly.

The atmosphere within the organization shines through to the guests. We care about our employees, and in turn, they feel ownership. They feel like they’re a part of a team and they set high standards.