Restaurateur Johan Engman, founder and CEO of Breakfast Republic and Eggies, started out as a dishwasher in the industry and now owns more than a dozen eateries, including a new one in La Jolla.<\/p>\n
Born and raised in Sweden, Engman emigrated to the States at age 17. \u201cI needed a job to pay rent and the only job I could get was as a dishwasher in a restaurant,\u201d he said adding he gave himself an \u201cultimatum\u201d eight years later. \u201cI said, \u2018If I can\u2019t figure out a way to make a career out of this industry \u2013 I\u2019m going to get out of it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Engman said he \u201cmanaged to scramble together a shoestring budget on money saved from working multiple jobs\u201d to open Fig Tree Cafe in north Pacific Beach. He noted it took him \u201cthree years to turn my first profit,\u201d pointing out \u201cdetermination, and stubbornness, got me through. The reality is I didn\u2019t have anything to fall back on if it didn\u2019t work out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Creation of Breakfast Republic\/Eggies, noted Engman, then flowed from his re-evaluation of Fig Tree\u2019s business concept. He asked himself how he could \u201ctweak things, change this and that,\u201d if he had to do it again.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to rebrand and diversify from Fig Tree,\u201d Engman said adding, \u201cI wanted to identify what we do in the name of the restaurant. So I called it Breakfast Republic. All we do is breakfast: That\u2019s what we focus on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both Fig Tree and Breakfast Republic are now part of the Rise & Shine Restaurant Group, the \u201cumbrella\u201d company for all Engman\u2019s restaurants specializing in breakfast establishments, but branching out into other areas including Mexican cuisine<\/p>\n
Of his new La Jolla location at 637 Pearl St., Engman said: \u201cIt\u2019s a nice little corner spot with really good visibility. It is smaller than our average location.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"eggies](\"https:\/\/cdn.sdnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/20230509155733\/eggies-exterior--300x200.jpeg\")
At family-friendly Breakfast Republics, guests can indulge in menu favorites like the Breakfast Jambalaya, Crab & Crawfish Cake Benedict, California Breakfast Burrito, and Steak ‘n’ Eggs. Children won’t be able to resist the Oreo Cookie Pancakes or S’mores French Toast.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a chef-driven menu,\u201d said Engman. \u201cWe source local ingredients and roast our coffee ourselves. I love traveling and I\u2019ve taken inspiration from both New Orleans and the south. It\u2019s a very creative menu with something for everybody\u201d<\/p>\n
Engman added part of Breakfast Republic\u2019s menu is healthier for the gym crowd specifying how many carbs and how much protein items contain. The menu also includes vegan choices.<\/p>\n