A new, yet familiar face is coming soon to the downtown Toledo restaurant scene.
City Egg, a fast casual breakfast and lunch eatery from the owners of the Toledo-based Scramblers restaurant brand, will open in mid-spring next year on the first floor of the ProMedica parking garage downtown, located at 202 N. Summit St.
For fans of Scramblers restaurants — formerly Scrambler Marie, and before that, Cafe Marie — the new City Egg will be a boiled down version of its parent restaurant.
“Inspired by the fact that Scramblers are full service and seeing where the market was trending for a younger demographic, that young people care about the quality of their product and the speed of getting in and out, we developed City Egg as a sister concept of the Scramblers brand,” said Scramblers president Shain Buerk, whose family started the local chain 25 years ago.
Scramblers now has 25 restaurants in Ohio plus one in Michigan. That includes four locations in the Toledo area.
However, when City Egg opens in Toledo it will be the second such store following a prototype that launched in Columbus in March.
“It’s a fast casual version of Scramblers. ... The main component is different, but the recipes are the same. It’s a simpler menu and the food is ready much faster,” Mr. Buerk said.
An online menu features various omelettes, wraps, and salads, as well as coffee and juices, and food is ordered via a City Egg phone app, through an online website, or at kiosks at the store.
“Rather than an hour dining experience, it 15 to 20 minutes,” Mr. Buerk said. “There will be a lot of carryout.”
With the Columbus store already an initial success, Scramblers has been looking for an opportunity to do a second location. “When the opportunity in downtown came up, we partnered with ProMedica to do a City Egg on Summit Street,” Mr. Buerk said.
City Egg will be about 2,250 square feet, have some seating and stand-up tables, and will be open daily from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The partnership with ProMedica was serendipitous, Mr. Buerk said. “It was a combination of the two of us getting together on this. We were looking for locations downtown and they were looking for someone too to fill that space. It’s synergy,” he said.
Mr. Buerk said he foresees other locations where City Egg would be a good fit. However, that doesn’t mean Scramblers is done with expansion.
“We continue to own and operate Scramblers and add additional franchise locations. The Scramblers model is still very viable,” he said. “But in certain locations, it’s a better fit for a fast casual restaurant. City Egg is perfect for different types of locations where mobility is more important and time frames are shorter.”
ProMedica real estate project specialist Kelly Danicke welcomed the restaurant’s arrival.
“We're looking forward to having City Egg as a tenant in The Depot and bringing a new dining option to downtown Toledo,” she said in a written statement. “They’ll make a great addition to our campus and we hope the community will enjoy the breakfast and lunch options they have to offer.”
Blade staff writer Lauren Lindstrom contributed to this report.
Contact Jon Chavez at jchavez@theblade.com or 419-724-6128.
First Published October 26, 2017, 6:35 p.m.
