Mac Haik will open 18 restaurants in Southeastern Texas and Southwestern Louisiana.
Award-winning breakfast, brunch and lunch restaurant First Watch announced today that it has entered into an exclusive franchise development agreement with Mac Haik Enterprises to develop up to 18 restaurants in Southeastern Texas and Southwestern Louisiana. Haik was formerly The Egg & I’s largest franchisee who sold his 30 Franchisee restaurant entity and his major position in the 114-franchisor restaurant entity to First Watch upon its acquisition of The Egg & I in May 2015. Now, the former wide receiver for the Houston Oilers and founder of Houston-based Mac Haik Enterprises – which operates successful companies in diverse industries including automobile dealerships, construction, healthcare, hotels and Class “A” office building/retail development, as well as outdoor media advertising – is turning his focus to being a part of First Watch’s successful growth. His return to the growing daytime café segment comes as the owner/operator of First Watch restaurants in the blooming markets of Houston, Austin, San Antonio and Baton Rouge, with the first restaurant slated to open in College Station in mid-2016.
“I had the opportunity to get to know Ken and his team at First Watch during the transaction, and as I learned more about the First Watch concept, it reignited my passion to be in the daytime café business. I’m happy to be doing it with the segment leader,” said Mac Haik, CEO of Mac Haik Enterprises. “We’ve always believed that business is about the people. It’s rare to find a company that, while maintaining substantial growth and relevancy, is able to preserve a company culture that embraces not only its employees and customers, but also its franchisees and external stakeholders. This is an opportunity to work with an organization whose leadership upholds values that strongly align with ours, and it couldn’t be a better fit.”
“We are fortunate that as we continue to grow in new and existing markets, we have the opportunity to work with someone as successful and dedicated as Mac Haik,” said Ken Pendery, CEO of First Watch. “Mac has had a home in Houston for decades. He loves the area, the people, the culture, and we have the utmost faith in his organization to show the region what First Watch is all about.”
Haik’s restaurants will feature First Watch’s new restaurant design and revamped menu, which uses farm fresh ingredients to create and offer both innovative and traditional breakfast, brunch and lunch dishes. It includes items such as Avocado Toast, Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict, Farm Stand Breakfast Tacos and Lemon Ricotta Pancakes. The restaurants will offer healthy, flavorful favorites like house-made granola and pico de gallo, organic greens, house-roasted vegetables, cage-free eggs and 100% fresh-squeezed orange juice as well as options from its Fresh Juice Bar, juiced in-house daily from fresh fruits and vegetables sourced locally whenever possible.
First Watch in Texas and Louisiana will serve its entire menu seven days a week from 7 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. and offer customers complimentary newspapers and free Wi-Fi Internet access.
For First Watch franchise information, please visit http://www.firstwatch.com/franchise/.
First Watch specializes in award-winning, made-to-order Breakfast, Brunch and Lunch. A recipient of more than 200 “Best Breakfast” and “Best Brunch” accolades, First Watch offers traditional favorites, such as omelets, pancakes, sandwiches and salads, and unique specialty items like Quinoa Power Bowls, Avocado Toast and the Chickichanga. First Watch was named a 2015 Top Consumer Pick by Nation’s Restaurant News and has received other recognition including being named a 2013 “Next 20” Emerging Brand by Nation’s Restaurant News and a 2014 Top Franchise Value by FSR Magazine. First Watch is the largest and fastest-growing daytime-only restaurant concept in the U.S. with more than 275 restaurants in 26 states, including more than 140 First Watch restaurants, 116 The Egg & I restaurants, 18 The Good Egg restaurants and one Bread & Company restaurant in Nashville (with another one under construction). For more information, visit firstwatch.com.
Mac Haik Enterprises (“MHE”) includes a commercial real estate development entity that builds, owns and manages office buildings, medical buildings, retail centers and hotels. Mac Haik Automotive Group is the largest independent automotive group in the state of Texas and the 15th largest in the United States. MH Outdoor is one of the fastest growing outdoor advertising media companies in the country and the Egg & I has been one of the most rapidly expanding breakfast and lunch concepts in the US. Acuity Healthcare (a hospital organization) has also been one of the fastest growing long term acute care hospital entities (LTACH’s) in the country. The overall MHE companies employ approximately 3,080 employees nationwide.
