Two Acadia Parish men invite their hometown to breakfast

By: Angela Becnel - Staff Writer
“Many people in Acadia Parish aren’t familiar with Another Broken Egg Cafe,” said Crowley native, Cody Gielen.

Along with his business partner Rayne native, Jake Alleman, Cody has established two restaurants which are not only known for breakfast but for lunch as well. Their establishment offers six different burgers, eight salads and 12 different sandwiches.

The Broken Egg Cafe concept, which was started in 1996 in Mandeville by Jake’s Uncle Ron Green, is “an upscale atmosphere with affordable prices, fresh ingredients, quality food and service,” said Jake Alleman. “There are not many places you can get seafood for breakfast (Benedict style Crabcakes, Shrimp Florentine omelet), or authentic Bananas Foster covered in warm sauce, whipped cream, pecans and fresh banana slices.” In fact the menu offers a huge variety of about 130 items, heated outdoor patio dining, and two huge flatscreen televisions.

Jake Alleman, born April 28, 1982, is the 28-year-old son of Darrell and Sylvia Alleman of Rayne. He graduated from Rayne High School and in December 2004, from LSU with a Bachelor of Science degree in business management.

He recalls, “ I wrote the business plan for Another Broken Egg Cafe in a class my Junior year at LSU. I worked at Broken Egg Cafe in Mandeville through college.”

Cody Gielan, born September 9, 1981 is the 29-year-old son of Tracy Gielen and Wayne Hornsby. He was raised by his grandfather John Dan Gielen and attended St. Michael’s Catholic School. He lettered in football and baseball at Notre Dame High School, where he graduated in 2000. Cody continued his education with a baseball scholarship to Bossier Parish Community College and then to University of Louisiana.

Although the two men have been friends since their childhood, they became involved in the Another Broken Egg Cafe Restaurant when in 2004, Jake and Cody began discussions with Founder, Ron Green. They then approached John Dan Gielen with their business plan, projecting in areas such as potential restaurant locations, cost of operation and profit estimations. After three years of research and further discussions, on December 17, 2007 the two Acadia Parish natives finally opened Another Broken Egg Cafe in River Ranch’s Mainstreet development in Lafayette.

Six months later Jake and Cody opened a second location at the Grand Panama Development in Panama City Beach, Fla.

When asked about the success of their restaurant business, Jake modestly replied, “We have been fortunate to be in the River Ranch Business community and we greatly appreciate our team of employees who do a great job of running the daily operations. We couldn’t do it alone.”

In fact, the Lafayette location of Another Broken Egg Cafe is the training store for the entire franchise, which now consists of approximately 14 establishments around the southern region and still growing. The Lafayette location has been the number one restaurant in the franchise in the first two years of business. The ambitious business partners will soon open additional locations in Fairhope, Ala., and Houston,Texas.

Certainly the patrons’ favorites, the Floridian Omelet, blackberry grits and beignets, the large quantities of the fresh and nourishing meals, the attention to detail (personalized handmade mugs for the freshly ground coffee) and good southern courtesy is why word of mouth has been the best form of advertising for Another Broken Egg Cafe. Have you heard about it? A bronze medal was awarded for Best Architecture on a building in Lafayette.

“For private events, bridal lunches, weddings the entire restaurant can be rented,” said Cody. “Jake and I proudly invite our hometown neighbors in Acadia Parish to our place of business.” Visit www.anotherbrokenegg.com for other locations and franchising information. They are open daily from 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and can be reached at 504-3365.