How Sunny Street Café' Showed Resilience in 2023

Mike Stasko Jr., vice president of brand strategy for Sunny Street Café®, initially thought 2023 would be a difficult year for the franchise. The emerging brand in the breakfast and lunch franchise segment decided to hold off on expansion plans to see what effect high interest rates and the possible recession would have on its business. However, within a few months, worries were abated and it became obvious that Sunny Street Café would continue to thrive.

“We just kind of had that nice, steady, predictable growth over the course of the year, which is exactly what you want,” Stasko told The New York Times. “From our perspective, it was a great year.”

Although business wasn’t growing as quickly as it did when pandemic lockdowns first lifted, customers were still dining out. Additionally, a cooler labor market made hiring easier for the franchise, while the surging egg prices seen in late 2022 cooled off as 2023 progressed.

By mid-2023, Sunny Street’s Café expansion plans were back in action. In fact, the franchise celebrated a flagship year with double-digit comp sales increases. As it builds upon the momentum from 2023, Sunny Street Café has set its sights on franchise growth in 2024.