Famous Toastery breakfast franchise coming to Fort Collins

While moving across the country from New Hampshire, David Glista overheard a couple talking about the Famous Toastery breakfast restaurant chain.

The more the former aerospace engineer heard, the more he was intrigued.

“I ended up flying back later to see and taste it for myself,” said Glista, who decided to move to Fort Collins after visiting his daughter, a Colorado State University student.

Now he’s bringing the East Coast-based franchise to the Harmony Commons development this summer.

Glista, currently undergoing corporate training, also owns the Famous Toastery franchise territory rights through Denver and will look to eventually add other locations. It will be the first location of the franchise west of the Mississippi River.

“People know great breakfast out in Colorado,” said franchise CEO Robert Maynard. “We feel there’s room to bring a different take than the other brands.”

Maynard co-founded Famous Toastery in North Carolina in 2005. The restaurant began franchising in 2013 and there’s now other locations in South Carolina, Florida, Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York.

The restaurant serves omelets, breakfast sandwiches, flavored pancakes, and French toast among other breakfast items. There’s also sandwiches, wraps, melts, burgers and hot dogs among lunch items offered. The Fort Collins location will also have a full liquor license and is planning to hold wine pairings.

Famous Toastery has also trademarked its service model of “Every server is your server.” The wait staff isn’t assigned certain tables but pitch in everywhere. The wait staff splits all of the tips.

“You might have a different person take your order, get you water and bring your food,” Glista said. “It’s a very different experience. But you should never be looking around or waiting for your waiter.”

Famous Toastery will occupy a 3,200 square foot space in the new development at the intersection of Harmony Road and Lady Moon Drive. The plans are to seat 100 indoors with a 50-seat outdoor patio.

Also planned in the development are MidiCi Pizza, Harbinger Coffee, Potbelly Sandwich Shop and D.C. Oakes Brewhouse & Eatery.

“We are really excited to be part of the growth going on on that part of town,” Glista said. “There’s a lot of traffic already and a lot of professionals we will look to serve.”