Wild Eggs has cracked the brunch game. Now, the Louisville-born chain is spreading its wings. 

More than a dozen years after the first location opened at 3985 Dutchmans Lane in 2007, Wild Eggs has more than a dozen locations across Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio. 

It began with founders JD Rothberg and Shane Hall, who poured their fine-dining backgrounds into a unique breakfast, brunch, and lunch menu.

Wild Eggs came “from a foundation of delicious home cooking, where fantastic memories of wonderful family meals found expression in a true passion for food,” according to its website. 

Its future is in franchising. 

After being acquired by the Miami-based private equity fund called PG Growth Opportunities in early 2023, Wild Eggs announced in July the chain would be open for franchising. 

“The company is looking for the right partners to join its restaurant family and help expand its active, fun, and unique food and service experience into new markets across the country,” a news release stated. 

This means Wild Eggs, which has 15 locations and employs 400 people in three states, could soon have a much larger footprint. 

Andy Abbajay, CEO of Wild Eggs, hopes to open about 35 locations in the next five years, he told the Courier Journal. It hopes to expand beyond Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio with locations in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and West Virginia.

“I had an opportunity to visit the brand and we were excited about it in general,” Abbajay said. “What we like about the brand is not only the food, but the economics are very favorable.” 

Abbajay, who has been in the restaurant industry for nearly 40 years, said he was impressed with the chain’s “meticulous” view on product quality and customer experience. He also appreciated that many Wild Eggs stores have stories of employees staying on for several years.

“Everything they did they wanted to be the best,” he said. “It certainly resonated very well in Louisville.”

Along with an espresso bar and seasonal change-ups such as pumpkin pie pancakes, Wild Eggs customers have found menu favorites such as the “surfer girl omelet,” a house-made cinnamon roll served at the table in a cast iron skillet, stuffed french toast and breakfast burritos.

“The thing that got us most excited is our food is really the hero,” Abbajay said. “Our menu speaks across generational lines.”

And it stands out during a time when brunch as a dining-out category remains popular.

“You can see over the last 10 years, this space has grown tremendously,” he said. “It’s a crowded market.”

The goal for Wild Eggs is to add to the market. 

“We’re looking for franchisees who are passionate about the breakfast and brunch business and who share our company’s commitment to quality and customer service,” Abbajay stated in a July press release.

The release pointed to wildeggsfranchising.com, a site set up for those interested in joining the “tight-knit franchise family.”

Joining the family comes with positives, such as “quality of life,” as Wild Eggs employees typically get off work around 2:30 p.m., support for professional and personal growth, and a laid-back atmosphere.

But joining will take some cash. Potential franchisees should have a net worth of $500,000 and $300,000 in cash assets. A franchising fee costs $45,000, according to the site. 

“We’re very excited about what the future could be,” Abbajay said.

Wild Eggs has five locations in Louisville and two across the Ohio River in New Albany and Jeffersonville, Indiana.