Sunny Street Café Welcomes Mike Stasko Jr. as President

Sunny Street Café, the breakfast and lunch franchise with 22 units, has announced the promotion of Mike Stasko Jr. to president of the emerging franchise brand, FSR reports.

Stasko, who has held various roles on the team since 2007 — including operations, marketing and franchising — is set to lead the brand into a new phase of growth. This promotion was announced amidst the backdrop of Sunny Street Café's impressive near double-digit sales growth in 2023.

“Mike has done a tremendous job at creating the vision for the business and achieving success as proven by our sales growth,” said Scott Moffitt, CEO of Sunny Street Café. “There is no one better to continue to drive our success forward than Mike.”

Under Stasko's guidance, Sunny Street Café has undergone significant brand improvements, including menu design, product strategy and a shift towards a brighter, fresher restaurant design, alongside a family-centric marketing approach.

“We spent the last 24 months perfecting our menu, our operations and our brand positioning to prepare us to be more competitive in the 6 a.m. - 2 p.m. breakfast/brunch/lunch franchise space,” Stasko said. “Now we are ready to accelerate our growth plans in 2024.”

The brand is set to expand its footprint across the United States, facilitated by a franchise incentive program introduced in 2023 that reduces the franchise fee to $17,500 and offers 0% royalties at the start, gradually increasing over the first 18 months. This strategy aims to lower the barrier to entry for new franchisees and provide them with more operational cash in the initial stages of ownership.

Sunny Street Café's success is also driven by its standout products, such as its signature fancy pancakes — including seasonal offerings like Pumpkin Pancakes and the newly introduced “It’s Your Birthday!” pancakes. These unique menu items have not only attracted a loyal customer base, but have also contributed significantly to the franchise system's sales.