A brother-and-sister team has extended their Choukair footprint in Liberty Station, adding The Good Egg to their family’s restaurant mix along with Oggi’s Sports Brewhouse Pizza.
“We are family owned and operated and have had the Oggi’s space for about five years,” noted Alexendra Choukair who, along with brother Jordan, are now running the day-to-day operations of both enterprises located at 2556 Laning Road near Starbucks on the harbor end of Liberty Station.
Pointing out her parents had several breakfast restaurants as they were growing up that they eventually sold off, Alexandra said she and Jordan “decided to go ahead and continue that legacy. Oggi’s was doing so well we said, ‘OK, it’s time to branch out to the breakfast business that our parents knew so well.’”
Both Choukair restaurants are notable for their extensive menus and sizable portions. “With Oggi’s, we carry an extensively large menu for one of their franchise locations here in San Diego, though we’re really focused primarily on the sports side of things there as well as having a bar,” said Alexandra Choukair. “At The Good Egg, which we opened in August, we also have a very big menu with a lot of varied things, as well as having a full liquor license.”
The sibling’s website for The Good Egg is under construction, said Alexandra noting the goal is to make their website “as simple and classic as possible so we can have a very simple, clean presence there. As of now, Yelp is where you’ll find the most information about us.”
The Good Egg is a full-service, sit-down restaurant with to-go and pick-up options. Of their menu, Alexandra said: “It is your classic breakfast style and our biggest thing is our portion sizes, which are absolutely huge. People say we’ve got the biggest plates – and that they barely fit on the table.”
Added Choukair: “We do have just about everything on the menu you could think of including pancakes, waffles, French toast, and great omelets. We have an incredible south-of-the-border menu, along with eight to 12 new options on our new menu to be released next week, wraps and salads and sandwiches.”
Choukair said many new restaurants are “more focused on how things look,” whereas The Good Egg is more concerned with “what people are getting for their money.”
Alexandra added she and Jordan’s more youthful perspective, combined with their parents’ more old-school approach, has proven to be a successful combination. “It’s allowed us to find a happy medium,” she said.
The Choukairs have an eye toward expanding. “We’re looking to add two locations within the next few months, whether that be a concept we currently run or a new concept,” said Alexandra. “We decided to grow at a fairly rapid pace.”
Best of all, the Choukair family has retained the services of the vast majority of their 39 employees, most of whom work at both their Liberty Station restaurants. Which helps, noted Alexandra.
“It can be difficult and grueling some days,” noted Alexandra of running restaurants. “A lot of people think it’s so nice to own your own business and make your own schedule. But it is not a business you can walk away from and let other people run. It involves our being here all the time. We want our presence to be known, not only to the employees but to the community as well.”
There is one big thing that makes running a restaurant easier for the Choukairs. “Our staff is our family,” Alexandra said pointing out, “We don’t ask them to do anything we aren’t willing to do.”
THE GOOD EGG
Where: 2556 Laning Road, Liberty Station.
Hours: Open daily 7 a.m.-2 p.m.
Contact: 619-501-5588.
