The cut-throat business of breakfast

Last Sunday was besties, babies and brunching. I met Moogs, Heather, her son Ean, Lauren and her son Santino (Sonny to his close friends) at Eggstacy in Oakbrook. It. Was. Delish.

The menu was overwhelming. And they had a full juice and smoothie bar with at least 30 different choices. I ended up getting the caprese eggs benedict (egg, tomato and mozzarella on a ciabatta bun topped with pesto sauce) and a banana smoothie that had whipped cream and drizzled caramel on top. But those were hard choices considering they had carrot cake French toast, chocolate velvet French toast, etc. sweetness, etc.

It was a little pricey for brunch (my bill was about $20) but, as I always say, I’m worth it.

This was a controversial trip, because I usually eat with the Breakfast Club on Sundays. This group consists of my parents; their friends Paul and Gail; their daughters (and my friends) Janine and Adrienne; friends Ron and Janet; their son (also my friend) Greg; and new addition, Janine’s son Owen Wilson (really it’s just Owen, but you know the Soderlund’s have to give everybody a nickname).

Every Sunday at 9 a.m., they eat at Brunch Café in Roselle. This was not always the case, as they had a long-standing table at Sunny Side in Elk Grove. But everybody grew sick of Sunny Side’s food, and Brunch Café recently opened with a fantastic and creative menu, so the Club gave it a tryout.

By most accounts, Brunch Café was doomed to fail.

First off, we had to wait for a table. When we went to Sunny Side, they knew us, so they always had one waiting. But, after only two visits, Brunch was willing to take a phone reservation and have a table waiting for us every week.

Next, there was no vanilla cream on the table. The Brunch staff shortly rectified that by bringing it out from the kitchen. Now the Club members were really sweating.

The final test: what brand of tomato juice do you serve? Now, I don’t know the answer, but I do know it was the right one for my dad and Paul.

You may think these are minor things in the scheme of one’s life but, believe me, Club members take these aspects very, very seriously. Alas, Brunch Café had prevailed, and the Breakfast Club made the switch.

My friends asked if the Club would ever try something different, such as Eggstacy. I said, “No freakin’ way.” If it’s not within a 10-minute radius, they’re not interested. I asked my parents this question, just to see what they’d say and got horrified looks in return.

“That’s crazy talk,” my dad said.