Two Wichita State grads are teaming up to bring an upscale brunch restaurant to Wichita
A pair of Wichita State University graduates are teaming up to bring a new brunch concept to Wichita.
Jacob O’Connor and Jon Peterson, two friends who met growing up in St. Louis then both attended WSU, are about to open a Wichita location of the Orlando-based brunch chain Another Broken Egg Cafe. The upscale brunch restaurant, which serves Louisiana-inspired breakfast and lunch dishes and has a large bar, should open in the District 96 development near K-96 and Oliver in late May or early June, they said.
“Wichita is definitely a foodie city,” O’Connor said. “And this is food for foodies.”
Brett Harris of Landmark Commercial Real Estate represented the property owner in the deal.
The restaurant, which will sit on the north end of a new strip center at K-96 and Oliver that’s also home to K-96 Liquor, is taking over 3,500-square-feet of space and will have seating for 142 as well as a large outdoor patio. It’s known for its brunch cocktails, and the front of the restaurant will have a pass-through window to serve people enjoying drinks on the front patio.
O’Connor and Peterson said they knew they wanted to open a brunch restaurant and spent three months scouting out about 11 different brands, traveling across the country to test them out.
Another Broken Egg Cafe, which has almost 100 restaurants across the United States, was the clear favorite.
“It was pretty much a no-brainer,” Peterson said. “As soon as we saw this one, we were like, ‘Yeah, that’s probably the concept we’re going to go with.’”
The two have secured the rights to the Wichita market and may eventually open up to three Another Broken Egg Cafes in town, they said.
The restaurant will be open only from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily and will have a menu that features specialties like chicken and waffles, cinnamon roll french toast, shrimp and grits, and crab cake Benedict. It also offers standard brunch favorites like biscuits and gravy and a biscuit sandwich.
The menu also is filled with sweeter options like apple fritter french toast and a cookie dough waffle as well as lunch items including burgers, sandwiches and salads. It also offers rotating seasonal dishes and has a big gluten-free menu.
O’Connor said his favorite dish is the Bacquezo omelet, which is a bacon omelet filled with cream cheese and topped with garlic butter, sauteed chorizo, Jack cheese and green onions. Peterson said he’s a big fan of the lobster and brie omelet, which is also cream-cheese filled and topped with brie, champagne butter sauce, sauteed lobster meat, tomatoes and green onions.
“I can’t get enough of that,” he said. “It’s wonderful.”
Customers also will be able to get specialty brunch cocktails, including choices such as a blueberry margarita, apple cider sangria and a Hurricane made with Hendrick’s gin. The cocktail menu also offers several spiked coffee drinks.
The duo is living in Orlando as they train to run the cafe. They’ll move to Wichita in March and oversee construction.
They liked the District-96 development, they said, because it’s close to Koch Industries and an Aloft Hotel and sits right next to a busy QuikTrip. They’re also excited about the big TapsNPaddles pickleball venue that is set to open behind their new restaurant later this year.
“We thought there was just a need for it here,” O’Connor said.
