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The Breakfast Club
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Creme Brulee French Toast
The Breakfast Club
ESTHER ALLWEISS INGBER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
As the pandemic recedes, going out to breakfast or brunch is suddenly back in style. Skillet omelets, breakfast bowls, waffles and pancakes — plus socializing — what could be more fun? I recommend trying the Breakfast Club. Founded in 1998, it offers a delicious dining experience at all nine local franchises, including Farmington Hills and Commerce Township. The nearest to my home is the Breakfast Club of Royal Oak.
“Nice guy” owner Sunny Poonin, a native of New Delhi, India, said he works 30 hours here and another 35 hours more each week at his other Breakfast Club in Madison Heights. Those hours are actually cutting back for him. Arriving in 2004 with poor English skills, Poonin was grateful to find employment in the fast-food industry. He worked his way up, putting in 100 hours weekly to support his wife and children, but also to buy different restaurants. His last stop before acquiring the Madison Heights Breakfast Club in 2013 was Frittata in Clawson, then known for its gourmet breakfasts.
The Breakfast Club of Royal Oak, operating in a former Middle Eastern restaurant, offers a cute, unpretentious setting. Breakfast-themed artwork decorates the pale yellow walls. Tables are bare and light floods through large windows.
But talk about poor timing: “I was in business only two weeks,” Poonin said, before COVID concerns caused Michigan to shut down inside service at bars and restaurants. Like with other places, carry-outs and home deliveries kept him going.
Picking up where it left off, the Breakfast Club provides friendly, efficient service. That’s inspired by Poonin himself, who not only cooks but brings out food to tables as needed.
The Breakfast Club menu, the same in each location, features such items as Mini Spini Egg White Omelet, Irish Morn, Smoked Salmon Benedict, Breakfast Enchiladas and Blueberry Granola Pancakes. I tried the best-selling Crème Brulee French Toast, a custard-baked French toast topped with Sabayon sauce (zabaglione, in Italian) and caramel sauce. Served with a purple orchid, the dessert-like dish was tall, dense, rich and sweet.
I have more experience with the Breakfast Club Specials. One time I enjoyed Italian Scramble: scrambled eggs, roasted garlic, roasted red peppers, spinach, fresh basil and fresh mozzarella with balsamic reduction. I also liked Sunrise French Toast, a special cornflake-coated French toast topped with mangos and raspberry sauce. My companion went wild for Southern Benedict, a special featuring buttermilk biscuit, chorizo, two poached eggs, topped with Hollandaise and Ranchero sauces, goat cheese and red onion, served with loaded, diced potatoes.
A Breakfast Club signature is presenting the check along with a chocolate-dipped whole strawberry for each guest. It’s good-quality chocolate, too, and a much-appreciated gesture.
Esther Allweiss Ingber
Breakfast Club of Royal Oak
29110 Woodward, Royal Oak 248-565-8013 No website; visit Facebook page ***½ out of ****
Sunny Poonin owns the Breakfast Club of Royal Oak and the Breakfast Club of Madison Heights. He’s shown by the company logo in his Royal Oak location.
Other Local Breakfast Clubs
Commerce Twp.:
(248) 926-0690
Farmington Hills:
(248) 473-0714
Madison Heights:
(248) 307-9090
Novi:
(248) 773-8038 More locations are in Brighton, Livonia, Plymouth Township and Troy.
