---
title: "How The Toasted Yolk Café Franchise Was Built to Grow"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/c004a2a0-840a-441a-8f28-7afb127c3532
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/how-the-toasted-yolk-cafe-franchise-was-built-to-grow-2713709
category: "Bakery & breakfast"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Bakery & breakfast"
published: 2020-08-17T12:07:02.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T02:27:15.938Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/e01f7b2842e2c1b5fecf24206f6218902714.jpg
---

# How The Toasted Yolk Café Franchise Was Built to Grow

**TL;DR:** The Toasted Yolk Café franchise has grown to 20 units sold, with a unique concept of chef-inspired breakfast and lunch dishes and a full bar. The brand has expanded rapidly since 2017, with 18 units in development under new franchise agreements.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2020-08-17. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/how-the-toasted-yolk-cafe-franchise-was-built-to-grow-2713709).*

## Story

**The Toasted Yolk Café** **is a chain of fast-casual restaurants serving chef-inspired takes on breakfast and lunch dishes. The Houston-based chain brings experienced restaurant professionals and savvy business entrepreneurs the opportunity to operate a limited daypart concept (breakfast, lunch, brunch only) — with a difference.**

**Backed by years of experience in foodservice, and with multiple locations under its belt, The Toasted Yolk is committed to bringing a quality-focused mix of breakfast and lunch classics to the masses. Each menu item comes with a unique contemporary spin, and can be accompanied by a wide selection of beverages, including draft beers and a full wine list.**

**It all adds up to a breakfast lunch restaurant franchise concept – and opportunity – unlike any other. The fully-supported restaurant business model is designed for maximum bottom-line impact and growth, with both streamlined staffing needs and hours of operation.**

**Chris Milton, CEO of The Toasted Yolk spoke with 1851 Franchise to provide some more information on how the brand created this winning franchise opportunity.**

**Chris Milton: We were founded in August of 2010 and we started to franchise in 2017.**

**Milton: It took us about nine years to get to 10 units open. We didn't get our second unit until four years after opening the first unit. Development wise, we've now reached 20 franchises sold this past year.**

**Milton: The biggest thing was bringing talented people onto the team and making sure we had the infrastructure to support the growth. For example, we brought on** **Franchise Foundry** **as our franchise development partner and focused on operational improvements such as an** **updated POS system****,** **loyalty program****,** **new menus and seasonal limited-time offerings** **to help increase revenue.**

**Milton: The biggest growth period for us was from fall 2018 to mid-2019. That was when we opened our first flagship location with a new full-bar service prototype and things really took off. Having the right people in place and turning our restaurants over to full-bar service really helped us carve out a niche in the marketplace.**

**Milton: The Toasted Yolk is not your typical breakfast restaurant — all our restaurants have a full bar and upbeat atmosphere. Plus, having both a full breakfast and lunch menu really makes us stand out.**

**Milton: To-date, there are six corporate locations in operation and seven franchises opened throughout the greater Houston area. This includes the two new locations — Cypress and Fulshear — that we just opened.**

**Milton: There are 18 units in various stages of development under new franchise agreements and area development agreements.**

**Milton: For one, we have a great marketing and PR team. We also pull from great professionals all around the area that really help with the training and execution of our product.**

**Milton: We look for people that are passionate about our food. We want people to make money, but we don't want this to become a strictly monetary decision. We are looking for qualified franchise candidates that are excited about The Toasted York brand.**

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- unit expansion (topic)
- franchise growth (topic)
- brand development (topic)
- restaurant concept (topic)
- Toasted Yolk (company)
- Chris Milton (person)

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Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/how-the-toasted-yolk-cafe-franchise-was-built-to-grow-2713709). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/c004a2a0-840a-441a-8f28-7afb127c3532).