BUSINESS
By Michelle Cassell
Assignment Editor
CHAPEL HILL — Snooze, an A.M. Eatery, is opening a location in Eastgate Crossing, marking the growing company’s entrance to the Triangle.
The restaurant will offer a mix of breakfast, comfort food lunches, and brunch cocktails.
“We are so pleased to welcome Snooze A.M. Eatery to Chapel Hill,” Mayor Pam Hemminger said. “Having another place where people can enjoy a breakfast out is great, and we’re thrilled that giving back to local communities is a core part of their mission.”
The Colorado-based franchise was established in 2006 by brothers, Jon, and Adam Schlegel. The brothers’ menu includes inventive pancakes, an assortment of twists on eggs benedicts, and signature dishes like pineapple upside-down pancakes with caramelized pineapple chunks and house-made vanilla creme anglaise and cinnamon butter. They will also offer a spin on morning cocktails, such as the Boss-Hog Bloody Mary, with bacon-infused Breckenridge Bourbon and their house bloody mix.
The company focuses on carefully sourced ingredients that follow strict sustainability guidelines and offer payback to the community. The restaurant will donate 1% of every meal to the community and compost and recycle 90% of its waste. Snooze donated more than $1.4 million in 2022.
Snooze Publicist Callie Sumlin said they plan to employ between 60 to 65 people through the restaurant. The company’s expected Fall opening will include a branded camper mug giveaway for the first 50 customers.
“As we grow, we continue to look for markets and communities that will appreciate our culinary innovation as well as share in our values and commitment to community impact and sustainability, such as Chapell Hill. We’re also very excited to join the vibrant food scene and collegiate community,” Snooze Regional Manager Meghann Cleary told TLR.
Snooze will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on weekdays and from 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends. It offers dine-in, carry-out, delivery, and catering orders. Diners can download the company’s app to reserve spots, order takeout and sign up for the company’s loyalty program.
Snooze is currently located in 40 locations throughout the United States, including three in Charlotte. They pledge to use sustainable environmental practices and sourced ingredients in every location. The company also incorporates carbon offsets into its deliveries, plants a tree for each employee annually, and donates for special events like new restaurant openings.
Local schools will be included in a program called “12 Months of Green” where Snooze employees will organize field trips to school gardens, recycling plants, and food providers. Hoping to show students and the community the difference that composting can make.
“We are so excited to open our first Chapel Hill location this fall and become a part of the amazing community. We will partner with local non-profits for our ‘Grow to Give’ soft openings and continue to give back through various events throughout the year. We think our thoughtful, craveable breakfasts will be right at home in Chapel Hill,” Cleary said in a statement to TLR.
Sumlin said there are no plans to build another eatery in or around Chapel Hill, but they are always looking for a potential location that “fits.”
Where exactly is it going in Eastgate? And when will it open?