Success at Sunny Street Café: Achieving Over $1 Million in AUVs

Sunny Street Café, a breakfast-focused restaurant franchise with 22 locations, has recently surpassed average unit volumes (AUVs) of over $1 million, according to NRN. This growth is partly attributed to the evolving breakfast segment in the restaurant industry, which has seen a boom post-COVID as consumer habits and preferences have changed.

“Breakfast is nostalgic,” said Mike Stasko, president of Sunny Street Café. “It’s a comfort for people. Folks still value the experience of going out and dining out, and they’re putting a priority on breakfast.”

But that doesn’t mean consumers only want the same old options. Sunny Street Café has innovated with menu items like Cinnamon Roll Pancakes and Loaded Hash Browns, as well as limited-time offerings such as barbacoa tacos to cater to evolving consumer palates seeking new and spicy flavors. These efforts have heightened consumer interest in their menu, contributing to the brand's impressive financial performance.

“For breakfast, you have to be able to execute the traditional breakfast favorites that people expect, right? I mean, eggs, bacon and hash browns,” Stasko said. “But that being said, you really need to have those ‘wow’ concoctions and those tasty items that maybe people weren’t expecting, and they’re looking for a splurge item for brunch on the weekends.”

Moreover, Sunny Street Café has been actively encouraging franchise growth through significant incentives, such as reduced franchise fees and royalties, aimed at attracting and supporting new franchisees without prior restaurant experience.

“We’ve had folks who have been successful in other walks of life but haven’t necessarily had restaurant experience,” Stasko said. “But you know, if [they] have the drive and [they] have the entrepreneurial spirit, if [they] have the interest and desire to get into the restaurant industry, we’ve been able to take those folks and show them how our system works.”

The chain's operational model also benefits employees by offering better work-life balance, with shifts ending early in the afternoon, which is atypical in the restaurant industry.

“At our store level, our turnover is just not what the industry norm is,” Stasko said. “You get out at three o’clock and you pick your kids up after school or you have the rest of the day to do what you want to do. So [we offer] that quality of life, which is big for people, particularly in the restaurant industry here recently. We afford a different path for people.”

Sunny Street Café is currently expanding and is offering new franchise opportunities in places like Ohio, Missouri, Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas.