The Egg & I: A Place For You and Me

Owner Jason Garofalo makes sure there's always something new to crave at Tinley Park's The Egg & I, like the smoked salmon benedict and the turkey cranberry croissants.

Patch sat down with Garofalo to talk about innovating classic American diner food and following family footsteps while keeping business up in a down economy.

There's also an Egg & I in Chicago Heights, which location came first?

We've been here eight years. We opened in 2002 (July 1, to be exact). Chicago Heights has been there for 26 years. My brother owns the Chicago Heights location; I own the Tinley Park location.

This seems like the sort of place that generates a lot of regulars, is that true?

Several regulars have been coming here for the last eight years. It's part of the restaurant business. You meet so many different people. You make a lot of friends, all ages, all walks of life. Every day is different. That's what makes it fun.

What do you hope it is that keeps them coming back?

I'd have to say No. 1 is the service. I worked a long time on my menu. It's a little different than your typical Mom & Pop, breakfast/lunch restaurant, but if your service is above and beyond other restaurants people enjoy that. People really notice that. We try to treat our guests like they were guests in our own home.

How did you get into food?

My family has been in the restaurant and produce business for 50 years at least. My grandfather started restaurants, my dad followed suit and several of us have followed my father.

You pride yourself on your creative menu. Where does your inspiration for food come from?

I didn't want to be your typical breakfast/lunch restaurant. I want people to come in here and say, 'That's not what I expected,' or 'That's an interesting combination of ingredients.' You know, not out-there, just different, something out of the ordinary.

I watch a lot of cooking shows, there are so many of them out there now. My wife likes cooking. She sends me recipes. We constantly try different things and specials, and that's pretty much where I got my menu from – running new things on special and seeing if people like them.

How is business?

Business has been good, thank God. When the economy first declined two years ago, we felt it, as everybody else did. We just try to reach out to the community. I go out and solicit myself, my wife at the time was soliciting and sending out different offers and coupons. You have to stay in touch with the community. At that time, they're not coming to you anymore. It was like opening for the first time again. You have to go and reach out to the community and say, 'Yeah we're still here.'

What do you want people to notice about the food?

On this menu, I think I have to pat myself on the back. I think I picked a lot of stuff that people really liked. We pretty much sell a little bit of everything, it's a nice mix. We're reasonably priced here. You can get a nice portion, the food, it's not pre-cooked, it's quality. You can taste the difference.