The sumptuous and succulent menu offerings at The Breakfast Boys restaurant in suburban Atlanta are as attractive as the celebrity-rich ribbon-cutting ceremony that popped off in June of this year.
The Breakfast Boys won’t need the likes of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Cynthia Bailey, “Living Color” star Terrence C. Carson or TV/radio personality Gary With the Tea to attract patrons to this zestful restaurant that sits comfortably along College Park’s restaurant and bar corridor. Co-owner Lorenzo Wyche’s dynamic menu exudes star power all on its own.
Wyche is the brainchild behind The Breakfast Boys and the architect behind these delectable culinary creations that have melodic-sounding names like pineapple upside-down French toast, jerk chicken and sweet potato waffles, coffee-rubbed steak and eggs, and oatmeal brûlée. At the same time, The Breakfast Boys still come with Southern savoir-faire like crispy catfish and shrimp & grits. While the delicious flavors dance on the tongue, patrons can imbibe on peach cobbler lattes, margaritas and passion fruit mimosas.
The Breakfast Boys is located at 3387 Main Street in College Park and is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Mondays through Sundays.
The other two owners discussed the philosophy behind the rich and robust menu.
“[Lorenzo’s] a breakfast connoisseur. He knows breakfast and brunch like the back of his hand,” said Gee Smalls, a co-owner of The Breakfast Boys along with Wyche and Juan Smalls.
The restaurant corridor on Main Street has become the epicenter for breakfast and brunch on Atlanta’s burgeoning southside.
“Lorenzo was really honing in on what he anticipated the guests to want, and to have something for every pallet — something for the vegan, something for the meat-eater, and something for those who love sweets.”
“So our goal is to deliver a better brunch experience,” restaurateur Wyche said.
He was part of the team that opened up Diddy’s restaurant, Justin’s, in Buckhead. He also played prominent roles in the opening of the Gocha’s Breakfast Bar, Rock Steady and Breakfast At Barney’s. This time around, Wyche has tailored the menu towards lighter eats that caters to mostly urban female sophisticates.
“It is more owner-driven. They want what they want,” Wyche explains. “They tell you, ‘I don’t want to eat the sauce, I want the sauce on the side,’ or, you know, ‘a little more greens, a little more seafood.’”
In a rich twist of irony, Wyche previously served as the chief advisor when the Smalls opened up their restaurant, Virgil’s Gullah Kitchen, three blocks down on the same street. The strong sense of brotherhood between the three made it easy for the Smalls to reverse the roles and become advisors and investors in Wyche’s dream eatery.
“We always had great chemistry and worked really, really great together,” Gee Smalls said. “So it helps, it works really well. We all bring different strengths. So it is a good marriage.”
The fanciful cuisine also makes for a great marriage with the flavorful decor and decorations within The Breakfast Boys. The trio purposely designed the interior with vibrant colors, textures and decorated the walls with African American artists and painters. Along with the top-notch food, the owners want you to have an experience.
“This is whimsical. We want you to come in and see the different textures and the different patterns, the plants, the strikes, the bubbles, on the wall,” Juan Smalls. “Everywhere you look is a photo op. Everywhere you look is eye-catching. So you can just sit here and just stare at the wallpapers, stare at the signs, stare at tiles, stare at the trees and be intrigued.”
The restaurant, therefore, follows Wyche’s perspective, which is counter to the age-old truism that “less is more.”
“Lorenzo’s thing ‘more is more,’” Gee Smalls added. “You know the saying ‘less is more?’ No, Lorenzo is like ‘more is more,’ from the menu to the decor to the colors, more is more.”
