Not just for breakfast anymore

How the Cracked Eggery is changing the way people eat that morning meal

You can call the Cracked Eggery an egg-centric restaurant. Just don’t call it a breakfast place. Why? Because they are not just for, you know, that word. The decadent, decked out egg sandwiches feature an array of cheeses, sausage patties, smoked salmon, caper tapenade—you get the picture.

So, when you say eggs, Cracked Eggery wants you to think of eggs any time, all the time.

Oh, and you also can grab some loaded tots and French toast sticks. Or, truth be told, bacon, burgers, bowls, buttery challah buns, etc.

The idea for Cracked started more than 10 years ago with brunch patties from friends Mike Tabb, Ross Brickelmaier and AJ Zarinsky. Going from food stand, to food truck and now restaurant, Cracked Eggery is the toast of the DC area.

To get an inside look at the Cracked Eggery brand, we sat down with co-founder Tabb and David Shove-Brown, Partner at //3877.

Give us a snapshot of your restaurant brand?

Tabb: Cracked Eggery serves delicious and innovative egg sandwiches, bowls and tots made from premium, local ingredients. Our goal was to build a concept that evoked the nostalgia of the comfort food side of breakfast while offered in a fast and reliable fashion.

What type of consumer are you targeting?

Shove-Brown: Cracked Eggery’s Shaw location is designed to meet a variety of consumer needs; whether it’s a family who wants to stop in for a casual breakfast or an individual grabbing a to-go bite on their way to work, the shop’s layout and circulation facilitates an easy experience for diners.

What type of adjustments have you made surrounding the recent state of events?

Shove-Brown: Throughout the spatialplanning process, our team developed a layout that prioritized both back-of-house and front-of-house operations. With the post-pandemic world in mind, space planning for the eatery centered on the kitchen, ordering and pick-up to ensure each was a flawless process for diners, meal delivery personnel and grab-and-go customers.

How does the design of the restaurant cater to what today’s consumers want?

Shove-Brown: Our approach to the design of this location was to maximize efficiency while finding a way to provide Shaw and its inhabitants with a restaurant that delivers not only the tastiest egg sandwiches, but also celebrates the local neighborhood culture. Customers want a full experience, even if they’re just picking up food to-go. They want to be immersed in the environment, including elements of the surrounding neighborhood.

Is there a location that really shows how the brand interacts with the community and customers?

One of your favorites?

Tabb: Both locations. We wanted both stores to be easy to navigate, customer-friendly and welcoming while paying homage to their respective neighborhoods, which we will continue with in future stores. From store design to neon accents and posters, we offer an awesome experience before you get the food, and even after.

Walk us through how and why it was designed the way it is?

Shove-Brown: To bring Crack Eggery’s signature brand experience into the space, we interpreted the ‘egg’ theme by mixing the motif with modern elements and local touch points throughout the entire interior. Playful cracked egg graphics, and a custom graphic wall designed in tandem with the Cracked Eggery team captures the contextuality of the locale—complemented by egg-inspired light fixtures.

Through employing Cracked Eggery’s branded color palette, made up of deep navy, bright yellow, and soft blue, the result is an eatery that reflects the brand’s true vision of celebrating the egg-centric eats.

Take us through your construction and design strategy.

Shove-Brown: The interior architecture achieves balance through lines and shapes, pairing thick linear lines with thin, organic forms. We achieved contrast in the space through reflection of matte and glossy surfaces—and pops of neon pink—creating intentional moments of glimmer that catches the eye of each visitor.

Through thoughtful and purposeful planning, the design scheme prioritizes sustainable materials that align with the sustainable ingredients found on the menu, an ode to the operations and mission of Cracked Eggery.

Give us a rundown of the market’s layout.

Tabb: We have always viewed this market as wide open for us but crowded at the same time. Customers tend to try and group us in with diners, bagel shops, delis, etc., but in reality, we have been able to mesh many styles and types of food into a cohesive menu that deviates from anyone else.

For some places, breakfast is an after thought on the menu. For others, it is a focus, but they might not have the burger or the bowls. Our bowls have put us closer to a Cava or Sweet Green, but those establishments do not capture breakfast in the way that we do.

What’s the biggest issue today related to the construction side of the business?

Shove-Brown: We’re still seeing residual challenges posed by supply-chain issues, thus pushing back timelines and delaying projects. However, we’re proud of how our team has been able to adapt and respond to these changes quickly, developing design solutions that bring a client’s dream to life while working around various process challenges.

Talk about sustainability. What are you doing?

Tabb: We source as locally and sustainably as we can, as often as we can. We have personally visited and seen the operations of most of our suppliers and ensure we are always searching for ways to improve in this area.

Are you optimistic about how the marketplace has responded to everything happening today?

Tabb: Absolutely. We are happy with the stores and look forward to the growth potential of the Cracked Eggery brand.

What’s your growth plan?

What areas are you targeting?

Tabb: Delivery is a major part of our model, so we are looking to build off of our current delivery zones to cover the area––Bethesda and Arlington are next on our list.

What trends are you seeing?

Tabb: Customers want ease of ordering and picking up, delivery options, and elevated food quality. For the industry as a whole, we are seeing more brands focus on making their items the way they want and discouraging customers from altering or changing items so they can offer dishes they can stand behind.

What’s the secret to creating a “must visit” restaurant environment in today’s competitive landscape?

Shove-Brown: It’s all about authenticity. Consumers want a genuine, immersive experience no matter the occasion. Creating purposeful touchpoints, such as bringing elements of the community into the design, establish a connection with customers that make certain restaurants standout in the market.

Supplementing great operations with thoughtful design and efficient circulation are key to ensuring a positive experience for every visitor.

One-onOne with... Cracked Eggery co-founder Mike Tabb

What’s the most rewarding part of your job?

What’s today’s consumer looking for?

Tabb: Speed, quality, effortless enjoyment.

What’s the biggest item on your to-do list?

Tabb: Grow this brand without sacrificing quality or losing character.

Describe a typical day.

Tabb: At this point, we spend our time bouncing between the two locations. Making repairs, improvements, checking food quality and ensuring things continue to go smoothly.

Tell us what makes your brand so unique?

Tabb: A mesh of nostalgic comfort food that pushes the envelope on innovation and elevates customer expectations while being fast and consistent––all packaged in a fun retro ’80’s environment. CCR

Seeing the happiness of our customers try us for the first time and when they return time after time.

What was the best advice you ever received?

Good ideas can come from anywhere.

What’s the best thing a client ever said to you?

There is nothing better than when a customer understands what we are trying to do with the brand–—from the sandwich names to decor and music. When they get it they love it.