Author: Matthew Landino, BSU student
Recently, I had the pleasure of sitting down with and speaking with Brianna Bamford, the co-owner of Brianna’s Breakfast located on 100 Spring Street, here in Bridgewater MA. 20 years ago, Brianna’s mother opened up the doors of Brianna’s Breakfast, a small breakfast restaurant with “mom and pop” charm. Growing up, Brianna helped her single mother run the business and make a name for the restaurant. Roughly 5 years ago, when Brianna returned home from college, she took over the business from her mother and has been running it since. She is extraordinarily passionate about creating a positive environment for both her customers and employees.
The restaurant opened its doors on September 12, 2000. Brianna’s mother had always loved to cook, not just necessarily breakfast foods. The hours of operation that a breakfast restaurant provided allowed her to work “mother’s hours.” This means that she was able to operate and run the business every morning while still leaving time during the day to be a good mother to her daughter. She fell in love with the freedom of running a business while still having time to spend with her family.
One of the toughest things that was encountered when getting the business off the ground was the actual building that was being leased was transferred over. The previous tenant had left the building in shambles, leaving an unforeseen mess to be cleaned up. All the stresses of opening a restaurant for the first time came along with the raising of a 5-year-old.
Looking back, Brianna had mentioned that the main thing she would have done differently would have been to sooner find and establish the line between being a boss and a friend to her employees. Like the case in many small businesses, several of the staff had been there for years and were very close with the owners. A very close-knit staff is often a good characteristic to have in a business, but often times, kindness can be taken for granted. A balance needs to be found when working with people you consider to be your family.
Not surprisingly, one of the toughest challenges of 2020 has been Coronavirus. People have high expectations of how a restaurant should be operated and trying to maintain that environment while simultaneously attempting to remain profitable has been difficult. Table turnover is a huge consideration in the restaurant business and with a restricted number of guests and tables. Not turning the tables over fast enough can be devastating to profits, as overhead expenses remain the same.
What makes Brianna’s Breakfast stand out among competitors, according to Brianna, is the superior quality of food. Having the best food around, as well as maintaining competitive pricing and implementing price matching, also makes the restaurant stand out. The famous steak marinade secret recipe is also something that keeps regulars coming back. Overall, the customer service, fantastic food, and “mom and pop” charm is what keeps customers coming back and attracts new business. Enhancing the customer experience is another way that Brianna’s Breakfast stands out. People are excited to get back out again, after everything that has been happening this year. Making sure that those people feel as normal and comfortable as possible in a restaurant setting is a major goal for the Brianna.
The current number one way that Brianna attracts new customers is the presence on Social Media. Running a page on both Instagram and Facebook and interacting with potential new customers on review pages makes their presence known and acts as a way of spreading positive information about Brianna’s Breakfast.
Looking ahead a year into the future, Brianna would like to see the business in a place it was a year ago. Optimistically, what Brianna would like to see is the restaurant at full capacity once again with her employees and customers able to be comfortable in a fully functional and operational dining room where everyone is healthy and does not have to wear a mask out, an ideal situation few would deny longing for.
Visit Brianna’s Breakfast at 100 Spring Street in Bridgewater, MA.
You can contact them via:
Phone: 508-279-6502
Facebook: @BriannasBreakfast2000
Instagram: @BriannasBreakfast