Lake Norman Publications

Famous Toastery has eyes on aggressive expansion



Brian Burchill opened Toast in Davidson in 2008, and plans to continue expanding the Famous Toastery company that’s reached 26 locations. /Doug Coats

DAVIDSON – They’ve weathered the worst of the pandemic’s effects on the service industry, and now two years after the world was shut down, Famous Toastery is cooking up a grand expansion.

As the locally owned, breakfast-and-lunch restaurant enters its 17th year, it’s added a new president and chief financial officer just months after opening its 26th location – five in the Lake Norman area. CFO Jude Colangelo was formerly president of the Eat the Bear health supplement company, while Michael Mabry has spent 20 years working with franchise brands like Macaroni Grill and MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes.

It’s the team co-founders Robert Maynard and Brian Burchill hope will double the number of Toastery locations across North Carolina over the next several years.

“We’re getting ready to step on gas to expand a little more,” Burchill said. “Just getting everything back together, we’re getting everybody acclimated. There’s a new vision of what we’re going to do.”

Burchill returned in January to the flagship store in downtown Davidson after spending nine months getting the Blowing Rock location up and running. Instilling the company culture has been his typical role.

Lake Norman Toastery Locations

12715 Conner Drive, Huntersville
101 N. Main St., Davidson
134 Mooresville Commons Way, Mooresville
170 N. Main St., Mooresville
7260 N.C. 73, Denver

“The energy is higher than it’s been since I couldn’t remember,” he said. “During COVID, you’re kind of floundering around and lose that passion. I’m all about heart and passion. The energy is so great with the team we have, with the new CFO, new president, the energy is amazing. The vision as we’re putting everything together, getting back into rewarding franchises.” 

Like other restaurants, Toastery had to furlough much of its staff in 2020, but Burchill said 40 to 45 percent have returned. He believes the kind of people they hire and the overall business culture makes it an attractive, albeit stressful, place where the trademarked motto is “every server is your server.”

“We do breakfast, lunch, so you need to be fast, need to have that energy, you need to be able to do nine different things at one time,” Burchill said. “But also keeping a positive attitude, moral is what I try to specialize in. So people want to get back into that. The people we’ve had staying with us in the last two years just love what we do. That’s because we put our money where our mouth is. This is a hard, hard job. We do it right, we’re there with you, and we’re going to sweat with you.”

As more locations pop up – 20 are franchised and the rest corporate, or “home,” stores – expect a few tweaks to the menu.

“We always like to add new items to the menu,” Burchill said. “ We go to franchise partners, tell them to run a special, do ‘Famous Features.’ We haven’t added anything since COVID, but we’re in the process of reevaluating the menu.”

Though the business’ first location was in a house in Huntersville, 101 N. Main St. in Davidson is Burchill’s “baby.” Toast moved there in 2008  – The Famous Toastery name evolved when franchising began – and it provided the right base for his return from the mountains.

“When I got back here, I felt like I’m home,” Burchill said. “This town, this location moved me down from New York. I came here and just had an amazing feeling; I felt like I was walking into a Norman Rockwell painting.”

One response to “Famous Toastery has eyes on aggressive expansion”

  1. Marian Shapiro says:

    Toast first opened in Huntersville, before Cafe 100 took over the space. Toast then became ‘Famous Toastery’ and moved to the location in Davidson.

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