Photo by Robin MayAs the owner of three truck stops, Port Barre native Blane Guillory knew the restaurant business from the ground up. While sailing his yacht in Orange Beach, Ala., he would frequently stop at a so-so seafood restaurant at the Bear Point Marina. He decided to get one of his Lafayette friends, Brian Jewell, to take a look at it as a potential investment.
Jewell, who had been involved in Another Broken Egg Café, convinced Guillory to consider launching a breakfast concept instead. Guillory looked into it, consulting Adcetera in Houston. After scouting potential locations in the Houston area, he decided to invest in Acadiana instead.
Guillory, along with his daughter, English Nassif, his son-in-law, Ryan Trahan, chef Jonathan Kastner and Jeff Robertson, founded Eggspressions of North America. Robertson acts as director of franchise operations, while Nassif serves as food and beverage administrator. Kastner, a graduate from a Chicago culinary school, developed the menu featuring Louisiana breakfast, brunch and lunch dishes.
On May 8, 2013, Eggspressions launched the first Brick & Spoon on Kaliste Saloom Road. Other franchises followed in Orange Beach and Houston. Since then, Brick & Spoon has expanded to Destin and Pensacola. “We knew from day one that we wanted to franchise,” Guillory explains.
After operating for almost two years at the initial Lafayette location, Guillory decided to split off from his son-in-law Ryan Trahan (who has since launched his own concept, Dark Roux) and go back to the original Brick & Spoon concept. That resulted in a move to 1895 W. Pinhook Road, where the restaurant opened for business March 30.
With the move, the restaurant doubled in size from 88 to 182 seats. The menu remained essentially the same, with breakfast, brunch and lunch dishes and a full bar. Beverage specialties include Mimosa Trios and Big Spoon (build-your-own) Bloody Marys, where customers can create from 50-plus options. On the food side, you can choose from “Day Starters” such as Deviled on the Bayou (tasso deviled eggs topped with fried oysters and Srirache aioli) and “Bananas in Pajamas” (crispy banana eggrolls served with Fosters sauce). Egg dishes include Killer Creole Omelete (Gulf shrimp, tasso, onions, red and green bell peppers and cheddar Jack cheese topped with housemade Hollandaise) and Carribean Scrambler (jerk chicken breast, grilled pineapple, onion, Monterey Jack cheese and mango salsa). It also serves beignets and brunch specialties like breakfast tacos and shrimp and grits. Sweet eats include pancakes and brioche French toast.
When asked how Brick & Spoon differs from other local breakfast/brunch/ lunch concepts, Guillory says frankly, “We know what we are doing.”
Recently, Brick & Spoon was listed by Travel & Leisure as one of the top Breakfast Restaurants in the U.S. Another Brick & Spoon location is currently in progress on Magazine Street in New Orleans. Guillory’s goal is to open 300 stores by 2030.
Brick & Spoon is open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, call (337) 408-3992, visit the website [brickandspoonrestaurant.com](http://www.brickandspoonrestaurant. com). and Facebook @ Brick & Spoon Restaurant.