Urban Egg locations rise with the sun

JOHNSTOWN — When a breakfast-centered restaurant that’s only a few weeks old and tucked back into a retail complex already boasts wait times up to an hour and a half on a Sunday morning, somebody’s doing something right.

That somebody is Randy Price, president of Colorado Springs-based Rocky Mountain Restaurant Group, and the restaurant is Urban Egg, a Daytime Eatery.

His chain already had a four-year-old eatery in Fort Collins when he opened a second Northern Colorado location on March 18 near the massive Scheels outdoor megastore in Johnstown, near the booming intersection of Interstate 25 and U.S. Highway 34.

“That store is just a hair over 3,000 square feet, whereas our sweet spot is about 3,600,” Price said. “With lease rates where they’re at, we designed it to cut down wasted steps and inefficient space, and keep things super clean.

“We negotiated that spot a year ago. It was kind of a melting pot and underserved area, but the Scheels is a big pull, and you can see us from the interstate.”

But there’s more to the story of how the new location could generate such a big following in such a big hurry.

“We do have a pretty streamlined marketing plan that focuses on local outlets,” Price said, “so we hit the pavement, went out and shook hands” — and dove headlong into the Johnstown community, including supporting the Glenn A. Jones M.D. Memorial Library.

“My wife is in charge of the fundraising piece,” Price said. “We pick things that are big in a community. We hoped to raise enough to help the library with its summer reading program, and we exceeded that during our VIP soft opening.”

Through June 30, $1 from every daily special sold at the Johnstown location will benefit the library. Urban Egg also donated $15,000 for area trails and open space.

“The local piece goes beyond just sourcing locally,” Price said. “When you support local businesses, a lot of great things happen. For every $100 we spend with a local company, $68 stays in the community.”

But as with all eateries, continued success depends on the food and the service.

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If you go

Urban Egg
230 S. College Ave., Fort Collins
970-999-5964
4861 Thompson Pkwy., Johnstown
970-408-EGGS (3447)

Urbaneggeatery.com

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“Once we get ‘em in the restaurant, we’ve got to give them such a great experience that they have every intention of bringing friends back,” Price said.

Diners will notice that Urban Egg’s servers exude cheer and enthusiasm, are quick to recommend their favorite menu items, and then check back to see if customers agree that their suggestions were good ones.

“That’s really part of our culture as we grow this concept,” Price said. “We emphasize that when we’re interviewing and training — personalizing the dining experience. We’re really trying to dial in the atmosphere.”

The food is locally sourced, made from scratch, and presented in ways designed to be visually appealing, he said. Price claimed that Urban Egg is the largest users of Eggland’s Best cage-free brown eggs in Colorado.

The menu goes way beyond traditional eggs, bacon and hash browns to such items as chicken-and-waffle benedicts, breakfast tacos, avocado toast, white bean hummus, pancakes made with a hybrid of a 1940s recipe, and a quinoa bowl Price described as “an innovative twist on oatmeal” with coconut milk, which is “kind of hot right now.”

Besides natural juice blends, the menu features adult beverages including a bloody Mary, mimosas and an “organic morning margarita.” Lunch items include burgers, sandwiches, soups and salads.

He and his chefs “brainstormed on the menu together,” Price said. “If we’re offering it, it’s the best version in town. It’s a real collaborative effort, and we give these guys some creativity and flexibility to create.”

Price started cooking pizzas at age 14, worked his way up through stints at Houston’s, Chili’s and Cherry Creek Grill, and started Rocky Mountain Restaurant Group in 2002. The company runs Sonterra and Salsa Brava locations, and opened its first Urban Egg in Colorado Springs in 2013. Urban Egg now has four stores in Colorado Springs including a Briargate location slated to open May 6, plus one in Highlands Ranch and one near I-25 and Belleview in the Denver Tech Center.

The Johnstown location has 53 employees, he said, and Rocky Mountain Restaurant Group as a whole has 540.

Other restaurant concepts could blossom in the future for the company, Price said, “but our focus right now is committed to growing the Urban Egg. We’re proud of the concept and feel it’s a fresh take on breakfast in many markets.”

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