The Egg & I
Special thanks to Mark Agnew for the interview of 3 January 2014 at The Egg & I in Papillion, NE.
Mark joined The Egg & I team in 1995 back when there were only three stores in Colorado (Greely, Loveland, and Fort Collins). He was working as a waiter in the restaurant industry on the night shift and met the owners of The Egg & I, Patty & Rayno Seaser.
From them, he learned the company culture and concept behind The Egg & I. It was both simple and brilliant and changed his life. With no evening hours, being home at night meant more time with his family and the opportunity to be a better parent. Egg and I’s commitment to local associations, communities and the opportunity to give back to God also impressed him..
Missing time with his family by working late hours, he desired to change his lifestyle and made the plunge to ask if there were any openings at their locations. There were and he started working as the General Manager of the Loveland CO. location. Two years later he became Director of Operations and has been with the restaurant ever since. “It really changed my life,” Mark Agnew says.
2005 saw the beginnings of the expansion of the chain via franchises with the first franchise outside of Colorado restaurant opening up in Texas. To help lead the charge and oversee continuity of The Egg & I’s commitment to families, communities and God, Mark became the Director of Franchise Operations.
Before even opening their doors, the Papillion restaurant had a fundraiser for the Food Bank for the Heartland and raised $3,500. They also support Partnership 4Kids (http://www.p4k.org), Hope Center for Kids (http://www.hopecenterforkids.com), and the Nebraska Children’s Home Society (http://www.nchs.org).
On 14 January, the locally owned franchise gave away bicycles to kids as part of the rewards program of Partnership for Kids.
For these and other good charitable works, The Egg & I has been named the winner for the state of Nebraska 2014 “Good Neighbor Award” presented by the National Restaurant Association for service to communities. They will now compete for one of four national awards.
What makes your restaurant unique as a breakfast choice?
It is our upscale breakfast concept. The most important is quality food and great service. We do not sacrifice on the food. We provide world class service with great food, ambiance and cleanliness.
There are a lot of new businesses in Papillion. How do you see your restaurant fitting in with that expansion?
We are a complement to it with the new hotel and guests. We have a private meeting room – free of charge. The Papillion location can seat 50 guests.The Bellevue location can seat 35 guests.Support for meetings includes free wifi and cable screen TVs to handle presentations with your computer or device.
What are your goals in the next 3 – 5 years?
Build more great to places to eat!
How many employees to you have at each location?
We have 25 per location.
To visit and enjoy this outstanding member of the Papillion and Nebraskan community, you can go to one of the locations below or call to set up reservations:
Papillion
304 Olson Drive, Ste. 118
Papillion, NE 68046
402-932-3441
Bellevue
2015 Pratt Avenue, Ste. 105
Bellevue, NE 68123
402-991-3448
Find yourself in other parts of Nebraska? Check out these locations:
Kearney
1325 2nd Ave
Kearney, NE 68847
308-455-1100
Lincoln
1601 Q Street Ste A
Lincoln, NE 68508
402-476-3444
6891 A. Street, Ste. 102
Lincoln, NE 68510
402-488-3444
Omaha
2855 S. 168th St.
Omaha, NE 68130
402-330-3444
681 N. 132nd Street
Omaha, NE 68154
402-498-3445
3605 N. 147th Street, Ste. 106
Omaha, NE 68116
402-965-3444
For a complete listing of The Egg & I restaurants, visit: http://www.theeggandirestaurants.com/storelocator/egg_locations.php
To learn more about the award and the National Restaurant Association. go to:
http://www.restaurant.org