Why I Built a Breakfast Restaurant That Closes at 3pm

By Jeff Parissi, Founder, President and CEO, Sunnyside Grill. This first appeared in Sunny Side Up, Jeff's newsletter on LinkedIn.

Every couple of weeks I write about breakfast, about owning and running a restaurant in Ontario, and about the part of the business most people never see: the sites, the leases and the build-outs. If you're thinking about owning a restaurant one day, or you just like a good plate of eggs, I hope you'll stick around.

I'll start with the question I get asked more than any other. Why does Sunnyside close at 3pm?

Partly because I love breakfast. Mostly because of my grandmother, and because of what I've seen in more than 30 years of helping restaurants open their doors.

Ivy's grill on the sunny side of the street

In the 1930s my grandmother Ivy lived in Treviso, in the north of Italy. Every morning she watched the village workers walk past her family's house with their canvas lunch bags. One day she pulled two worn tables onto the patio, covered them with her grandmother's pale blue tablecloths and started cooking breakfast. Eggs from her own farm, sausage made the way her grandmother made it.

Before long there were line-ups. One regular, Olivero, came every day for a year before she agreed to go on a date with him. When people asked him how to find the place, he told them it was simple. Ivy's grill is on the sunny side of the street.

When I opened the first Sunnyside Grill in 2004, that's what I wanted. A room where people know your name, food made properly, and a crew that likes being there.

That last part is where 3pm comes in.

What 30 years in restaurant real estate taught me

My other job is commercial real estate, and over the years I've worked with a lot of restaurant owners. I've watched good operators wear themselves out. Dinner service means nights and weekends, staff who are tired and hard to replace, and owners who don't see their kids awake. A busy restaurant and a miserable life can go together very easily.

Why breakfast and lunch work differently

We open at 7 and we're done serving by 3. After a short cleanup the whole team goes home for dinner, owners included. The shifts are the ones people actually want, so staffing is easier. The kitchen does one service and does it well. And I think the food is better for it, because nobody is cooking eggs at the end of a fourteen-hour day.

If you want a closer look at how the single shift plays out for an owner, we wrote about it in why a 7am to 3pm schedule changes life as a restaurant owner.

What's coming next in Sunny Side Up

• How we pick a site, and why a former restaurant is often the best place to start
• What a day looks like for a Sunnyside owner, from unlocking the door to the last table
• What landlords should know about breakfast tenants
• The questions I'd ask any franchisor before signing anything

You can subscribe to Sunny Side Up on LinkedIn.

Questions people ask about Sunnyside's 3pm close

Why does Sunnyside Grill close at 3pm?

Sunnyside serves breakfast and lunch only, from 7am to 3pm. One daytime shift means owners and crews are home for dinner, the shifts are easier to fill, and the kitchen focuses on doing one service well.

Does Sunnyside Grill serve dinner?

No. Every Sunnyside Grill is a daytime breakfast and lunch restaurant, open seven days a week.

Where does the Sunnyside Grill name come from?

From Jeff's grandmother Ivy, who ran a small breakfast grill on her family's patio in Treviso, Italy, in the 1930s. Regulars told people to look for Ivy's grill on the sunny side of the street.

When did the first Sunnyside Grill open?

Jeff Parissi opened the first Sunnyside Grill in Ontario in 2004.

Does the founder have real estate experience?

Yes. Jeff has spent more than 30 years in commercial real estate, and the franchise team helps owners with site search, site analysis and lease negotiation. You can read more about the franchise program.

Thinking about owning a Sunnyside?

Start with the free franchise guide. It covers the brand, the support, the real estate criteria and the steps to ownership. Get the franchise guide, or see the steps to opening. Landlords with a 1,500 to 2,500 square foot space that used to be a restaurant can send details to [email protected].

This information is not intended as an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, a franchise. A franchise can only be sold through the franchise disclosure document.