The Egg & I

Bobby McGurk wasn’t sold on the idea of a breakfast and lunch place at first.

He and his father, Bob, had spent most of their lives in the corporate end of restaurants before deciding they wanted a franchise of their own in the Birmingham area where they lived. The pair had searched the whole spectrum, from pizza places to sports bars, when Bob found The Egg & I. 

Although Bobby wasn’t convinced, he, Bob and their families took a trip to Colorado where the first The Egg & I opened in 1987. After one taste in the mountains, Bobby said, “It can work.” 

“It was a warm, comfortable environment,” Bobby said. “The colors and the décor on the walls really gave you that mother’s kitchen kind of feel.”

They knew they wanted a prime location in Birmingham, and Bobby said they first thought about locations in Hoover or on U.S. 280. In 2009, the two opened their first The Egg & I in Hoover, followed by four other openings. 

The fifth and latest The Egg & I opened Aug. 6 on U.S. 280 where it took over the space where Dale’s Southern Grill was previously located. 

“What we try to emulate, what we have called it before in the past, is the ‘Cheers’ of the restaurant industry — where your servers get to know your name, and you see people talking and really engaging with them,” Bobby said. 

The Egg & I was founded on the basis of community, family and friends. Bobby said in the restaurant business people don’t get a lot of extra time to spend on those things, but now owning branches of The Egg & I allows them to. 

In a lunch and dinner restaurant closing about 10 or 11 p.m., all the staff are ready to leave because it is so late. At The Egg & I, Bobby said they get in early and they get out early because they close at 2 or 2:30 p.m. He is able to pick up his daughter every day from day care and have dinner with his family every night. 

“What we have is the community,” Bobby said. “That is our core value, and our core base is getting involved in the communities.” 

 The Egg & I is serving the community an extensive list of breakfast-based options including the traditional breakfast with bacon and grits, eggs Benedict, omelets, whole-wheat pancakes, waffles and French toast. It also spices up breakfast burritos with the flavors of the Southwest.  

“We have two pretty strict mottos that we go by,” Bobby said. “No. 1 is infinite attention to detail, so we are making sure that every ingredient and every recipe is met and reaches its highest standards. No. 2 is taste in every bite.” 

The menu features a variety of lunch items such as salads, freshly made soups and sandwiches. Everything on the menu is available from open until close. 

Bobby said his locations in the Birmingham area see a mix of demographics as their customer base. The restaurant is very kid friendly with many families coming in on the weekends. During the weekday mornings, Bobby said he serves many seniors and business people.   

The Egg & I recently finished a research project that revealed guests appreciate the “high-quality food” and “warm-welcoming hospitality.” The research said guests who visit The Egg & I are “blown away by our high food quality, our extensive breakfast and lunch menu variety and our very friendly service.” 

Bobby said that personally he has heard guests boast about the generous portions they receive. 

“There is such a wide spread,” Bobby said. “Really, for anybody who comes in, they can actually have their pick of any kind of breakfast they want.”