Eggs Up Grill, the breakfast franchise known as “home for the whole neighborhood,” will open its first location in Goose Creek this year. Promising a menu packed with favorites like Chicken and Waffles and the Biscuit and Gravy Breakfast, plus a whole range of omelettes, bowls, bennies, and more, the new Eggs Up Grill will open at 98 Goose Creek Blvd.
It’s an opening that franchisee Marc Cotone says is “8 years in the making.”
“I arrived in Charleston almost 12 years ago as a CPA, but looking for an entrepreneurial venture to better utilize my skills and love for people,” Cotone told What Now in an email conversation. “When I learned that my favorite breakfast restaurant was a franchise and regular people could own them, my decision was made. I opened my first location in 2016, second in 2018, third in 2019 and helped with the fourth location in 2020. I took some time off from building restaurants and dabbled in a few other franchise concepts, but in 2026 I’m back on my Eggs Up Grill horse and have one open so far, a renovation about to start for our first location and Goose Creek in development.”
Cotone has made a career both in franchising and in coaching franchisees and operators. Franchising is a model, Cotone says, that makes entrepreneurship more accessible for people looking to get into the business.
“I always wanted to work for myself, and plugging into an established brand helped streamline the path to business ownership. Some entrepreneurial brains are built to create their own concept, but for others, the path of franchising is a more palatable lift.”
The Eggs Up Grill in Goose Creek will be part of a new development from Grescon Development, who initially approached Cotone to come see the site. Cotone says he jumped at the chance to take on a project that had been gestating for years.
“Grescon has been amazing to work with,” Cotone says. “They will serve as the developer, the real estate agent, the property manager and the landlord and have worked closely with me throughout the whole process. I’ve been promising a Goose Creek location for a long time and I’m thrilled to see it finally come to life.”
With another franchisee’s new location planned for James Island next year, which will bring the total number of Eggs Up Grill locations in the area to 7, Cotone says he hopes to see growth continue in the market, where he imagines possible future openings in locales like Moncks Corner, Hanahan, and North Charleston.
“I truly believe every neighborhood deserves an Eggs Up Grill.”
Being a bit of a franchise guru, What Now asked, what would say is something people should know about franchising that they might not already?
“I think the most common misconception about franchises is that they can be owned as passive investments and run by simply hiring a manager,” Cotone says. “While this can be true for those who are very fortunate, hire unicorn key players or have significant business experience, the vast majority of franchisees like myself have to work REALLY hard in order to make it work. For the first couple of years, I worked nearly every day in the restaurant and left a great deal of blood, sweat and tears in my restaurants, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s been an incredible blessing to build with the Eggs Up Grill brand and I look forward to many years/decades to come!”
An opening date is still TBD for the Goose Creek Eggs Up Grill, but stay tuned for an update once it’s announced!
You can keep up with all things Eggs Up Grill by following @eggs_up_grill on Instagram.
