Eggs Up Grill owner already eyeing second location

Eggs Up Grill has only been open for a month, but its owner is already looking at expansion.

“This is the first of four,” said Clarissa Knotts, who owns the business at thee Shoppes at Evans Town Park, 1200 Town Park Lane. Her fiancé Kevin Patrick is the general manager. “We’re going to look at Grovetown and North Augusta. But I think Grovetown is next.”

Eggs Up Grill opened June 23, and the next location could open in about a year.

Knotts said she’s leaning toward the Grovetown area not only because that’s where the couple lives, but she’s heard from a lot of people who say there’s a need for a breakfast/brunch-style eatery there.

With 2,380 square feet, the restaurant has indoor seating for 86 people and outdoor seating for 20. It’s open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., seven days a week, with dine-in, online ordering, takeout, catering and delivery options available.

Signature menu items include the founder’s recipe corned beef hash with potatoes, onions and special spices, as well as made-to-order omelets, buttery, grilled blueberry muffins, classic breakfast dishes, croissant-style donuts and lunch selections including burgers, melts, salads and more. Eggs Up Grill also caters events with a menu featuring breakfast favorites like eggs, grits, home fries, biscuits and gravy and muffins. Salads and sandwiches are available for catered lunches, a news release said.

One of the things that drew her to the franchise was the “mom and pop feel” of the concept, she said. “The experience the guest feels is like coming into my home.”

She wants the restaurant to offer the comforts of home as well as being special dining experience.

The youngest of five children Knotts said they ate most of their meals at home when she was growing up. Going out was a treat.

Launching a business wasn’t her first career goal. A registered nurse for 17 years, she still works in that field, but an entrepreneurial spirit rests in her family.

Her father and uncle own and operate Knotts Funeral Home in Swansea, South Carolina. They also own a fish market, where Clarissa Knotts worked growing up. And Patrick, a native of Charleston, has worked in the restaurant business since high school.

The two hope their complementary skill sets are the recipe for success.

Eggs Up Grill started in Pawleys Island, South Carolina, more than 25 years ago, and there are more than 80 locations. It was ranked as the No. 1 breakfast franchise by Entrepreneur magazine’s Franchise 500® three years in a row, according to a news release.

Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years. She’s won multiple Georgia Press Association awards and is the recipient of the 2018 Greater Augusta Arts Council’s media award. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.