Eggington’s, a longtime Casper classic, may soon be exclusive to The Oil City no more.
The well-known brunch spot’s owner, Pete Fazio, and a group of partners have recently bought a restaurant in Arizona with the same name, which owned the Eggington’s trademark.
The plan is to expand Eggington’s in both Wyoming and Arizona, saturating the markets in those two states. The first branch, however, will open in Santa Barbara, California.
“We’ve got a fantastic manager who was, ironically, from that area in California,” Fazio said. “So there was some thought about whether she wanted to move back to California, and we’ve been grooming her to take this restaurant, basically, to run it efficiently without me as I break off and start doing some of these other ventures.”
Good Food With Wyoming Vodka
Opened in 2003, Eggington’s has made a name for itself in Casper as a must-try brunch spot, and it’s one of the first places locals will mention when asked about things to do there.
The menu starts off with a four or five creative versions of eggs Benedict, as well as things like Huevos Eggington’s and breakfast tacos — and that’s just getting started.
It’s a 3-in-1 menu, so there are lots of lunch and dinner-type items that can be ordered any time, even if it’s 6 in the morning. These range from hamburgers to turkey paninis and salads.
Ingredients are sourced regionally through suppliers in Montana and Colorado. Breads come from Harvest Moon Bakery in Billings, Montana, for example, but the vodka in the mimosas is from a Wyoming distiller.
“We do offer a fresh-squeezed orange juice, which I know no one else in Casper provides,” Fazio told Cowboy State Daily. “We try to maintain the freshest ingredients we can.”
Fazio Is Keeping Expansion Small
While Fazio hopes to saturate markets in Wyoming and Arizona, he’s not planning to build out the brand to more states than that.
“If it was 20 years ago, maybe (a national chain) would be the goal,” he said. “But we would like to build, probably, you know, eight to 10 restaurants.”
Fazio isn’t interested in becoming too large and “corporate.”
“I think sometimes we’re so financially driven which, obviously, is extremely important, that we forget who gets us to that point,” he said. “I know the folks who work for me aren’t gong to say that I’m easy to work for, but they know there’s a standard in place, and that we’re not going to budge from that.”
Having clear expectations has created stability for the restaurant, Fazio believes.
“We’ve had the same cooks for the majority of the time,” he said. “Our cooks have been here five years plus.”
Fazio said he’s met recently to talk about signing a lease this week or next, and that blueprints and things of that sort are already in hand.
“If we sign the lease the end of next week, which I think both parties have come to an agreement, we’ll start construction in about four months,” he said.
Eggington's fills up quickly morning's, and reservations are recommended. (Cowboy State Daily Staff) 
It's always busy at Eggington's in Casper, a favorite brunch spot. (Renée Jean, Cowboy State Daily)
Fazio Has Long History With Food Industry
Fazio is uniquely qualified to open new restaurants and expand the Eggington’s brand. It’s what he used to do before Eggington’s — for Applebees.
“I have grown up in the restaurant business,” he added. “It’s all I’ve ever done.”
Fazio’s father came to the United States from Italy, and, believing in the American dream, bought a restaurant in Massachusetts.
While he’s done just about every job associated with restaurants, his favorite is being in the kitchen, dreaming up new dishes and ensuring that each and every plate is going out correctly and consistently.
“Typically, a guest will bring an idea or my wife and I will try something, and then I work on the recipe to try to get it to the taste profile we need,” Fazio said.
Among these dishes is the Kathy Oats on the menu, which are steel-cut oats with a mixture of honey, almonds and craisins.
Another are Max’s eggs and meat, which was designed by a child who was one of the restaurant’s regulars.
If You Go
Eggingtons in Casper is one of the busiest brunch spots in the city. Typical wait times without a reservation are 30 minutes. The restaurant opens at 6 a.m. and runs until 2 p.m., but guests can order any item the restaurant makes whether that’s a hamburger at 6 a.m. or eggs Benedict at noon. Mimosas, made with Wyoming vodka, are available.
Contact Renée Jean at Renee@CowboyStateDaily.com
