A trio of entrepreneurs with a blend of business ownership experience signed an agreement to extend Another Broken Egg Café’s presence in Florida.
Robert Swigonski, a U.S. Air Force veteran who’s been in the restaurant industry for 30 years, is one of the new franchisees. He partnered with two friends with backgrounds in other industries: Chuck Minervini, founder of Long Island’s East Side Comedy Club, and Angelo Genova, a 40-year construction business owner.
Together, the group will open three Another Broken Egg units in St. Lucie and Martin Counties, just north of Fort Lauderdale.
For Swigonski, the partnership follows franchising ventures with several other brands, the first being with Denny’s. After completing his service in the military, Swigonski said going into restaurants was a return to his roots.
“My grandmother came from Poland back in the day and opened a Polish deli,” Swigonski said. “I grew up around that and always had that entrepreneurial spirit, and restaurants always seemed like a good fit to me. I opened my first restaurant and I thoroughly enjoyed it, working with my team and seeing regular guests come in.”
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Swigonski built an operation that included five Denny’s locations and three Bennigan’s units, before later operating Longhorn Steakhouse restaurants. Drawn back to the breakfast segment, Another Broken Egg emerged as the right fit.
“I found a passion in full service, particularly in breakfast,” Swigonski said. “Then I had the pleasure of visiting Another Broken Egg Café down in Delray Beach, Florida, and I was very happy with the experience. The quality of the food and the level of service was really impressive.”
Jeff Sturgis, chief development officer of Another Broken Egg, said the brand’s growth strategy in recent years has been to open restaurants within or contiguous to exiting markets, so this deal fits the plan.
“We’ve had a presence in Florida since pretty close to the beginning,” Sturgis said. “We’re in Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa now, and this makes sense from that standpoint. It’s an area with population growth and it’s in the middle of cities where we already have a footprint.”
Swigonski said his friends and business partners were likewise impressed with the restaurant when visiting for brunch and were then able to speak with Sturgis about new opportunities.
“Jeff and his team welcomed us to a franchise conference that they’ve had prior to signing the agreement and we were able to visit their headquarters,” Swigonski said. “They were transparent with everything in our meeting, and since I’ve been familiar with the franchise business, I knew the right questions to ask. I walked away pleased with how everything worked.”
The trio’s development will build on the brand’s 103 locations through 17 states.
Sturgis said he similarly gained confidence in the group joining the system after their meetings.
“They’re really genuine people,” Sturgis said. “It came across very quickly when you meet and talk to them. When I first met Robert, his understanding and appreciation of the guest experience in restaurants stood out pretty quickly. It was obvious from an operational standpoint that he got it.”
“You can flip almost anyone and teach them how to run a kitchen,” Sturgis continued. “But it can be harder to teach the people the customer service part of it. That’s what Robert and his partners understand, and they’ve fully aligned on the culture they want in their business.”
During the due diligence phase, Swigonski said he also spoke with multiple Another Broken Egg franchisees, and they all reported a strong performance. He also said expenses are in line with what he’s dealt with in the past.
“What I appreciate about Another Broken Egg is the same thing I loved about Denny’s, which is the food costs, which are nice for our breakfast, brunch and lunch menus,” Swigonski said. “It’s also just one shift. When I was with Denny’s, it was a 24/7 operation. But this one is just 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., with one shift for employees where we maximize the time we’re open.”
The initial investment to open an Another Broken Egg franchisee is between $847,100 and $1.2 million. Over the last two years, the brand opened 30 cafes and is expected to have up to 11 more by the end of 2025.