Nestled at the edge of Promenade Park in downtown Toledo, City Egg is a fast-casual restaurant serving made-to-order breakfast and lunch seven days a week.
City Egg is affiliated with the Scramblers family franchise that originated in Toledo with a shared commitment to making fresh food from scratch. All eggs are cracked by hand, pancake and french toast batter is mixed on site using seven simple ingredients and the salsa is prepared in house. General Manager April Murra explains the restaurant receives three deliveries of fresh vegetables each week, all of which are diced by hand. There are no deep fryers or microwaves in the kitchen.
The two chains differ as City Egg is an express version of the full-service experience offered at Scramblers, Brandon Buerk, vice president in charge of restaurant operations and a member of the founding family behind Scramblers, said, “It’s Scramblers food, Scramblers quality, but fast. Lots of guests want fast food but they don’t want garbage — they don’t want the stuff they get at the drive through.”
Easy ordering, fast service
All City Egg orders are either placed online or through one of three kiosks that greet customers at the counter. The system is user-friendly, with large print and full color images on the bright touch screen. Entrees are easy to customize, and once an order is submitted, guests can watch its progress on one of several screens in the restaurant.
Walking into a restaurant and ordering from a computer terminal was a newer concept in this region when the spot opened about five years ago near the Promedica Headquarters campus, but the model became more common in the wake of the pandemic. Paper menus are still available to peruse prior to ordering and Murra says employees working behind the counter are always happy to assist customers who do not feel comfortable using the kiosk to order.
The ordered drinks are ready within a few minutes and the food is served not long after. The eggs in the Wisconsin Scrambled are cooked just right, the pancakes are fluffy and the bacon is crisp.
Coffee and hand-crafted juices
City Egg features a full coffee bar, with espresso, lattes and other caffeinated concoctions, and a juice bar with fresh-squeezed OJ and a variety of tasty non-alcoholic cocktails.
For those who like a sweeter drink, Buerk recommends the Metro Mango with its combination of orange, pineapple and mango juices. For a more tart beverage, the C Bus features a mix of orange, grapefruit, peach and lime. Another option is the Urban Berry Detox, which is a delicious cocktail of orange, blueberry, pomegranate and cranberry juices.
While the restaurant does a brisk business on weekdays, Murra says its biggest crowds come from weekend traffic associated with special events. Guests can dine in and enjoy the natural light and views through floor to ceiling windows, or order a meal to go and find a nice spot to eat along the Maumee River in the adjacent park.
City Egg is a convenient spot for breakfast or lunch in conjunction with an outing to Imagination Station, the National Museum of the Great Lakes, the newly opened Glass City Metropark or one of the other attractions along the river.
