Famous Toastery to open West Ashley location

Listen to this article

A North Carolina-based breakfast restaurant is opening its first location in the Lowcountry on Sam Rittenberg Boulevard in West Ashley.

Famous Toastery, which will be locally owned by franchisee Eddie McMillen, is scheduled to open in the Ashley Landing shopping center on Feb. 12.

“From the employees to the customer base to the two guys who first started this, I just thought it was a great venture to get in to,” McMillen said.

McMillen previously owned five McDonald’s locations in the Charleston area, which he sold in 2014 after his wife was diagnosed with epilepsy.

He said he began looking at owning restaurants again after his wife’s health began improving, and that’s when he learned about Famous Toastery.

“I just read up on the company a little bit and liked the information I saw,” McMillen said. “So I contacted the franchise manager and they had this area open.”

McMillen said he likes restaurant’s menu, which includes gluten-free options and locally sourced produce.

Another appeal is the hours, he said. Famous Toastery is open until 3 p.m.; some of his McDonald’s locations were open 24 hours.

McMillen said the company had a few locations in mind when he inquired about franchising opportunities, and they settled on the West Ashley location in November 2016.

“We thought just with the businesses that are here, the community in a five-mile area, and what the city’s looking to do in the West Ashley area, it would be a great location for the first Toastery,” he said.

McMillen is leasing the space from Charlotte-based Wintergreen Capital.

He said that after the West Ashley location is up and running, he has plans for a location on Dorchester Road in North Charleston and another on U.S. Highway 17A near the Nexton development in Summerville.

Famous Toastery was founded in Huntersville, N.C., in 2005 by Brian Burchill and Robert Maynard. The restaurant has six other locations in South Carolina, in Greenville, Columbia, Myrtle Beach, Indian Land, Rock Hill and Tega Cay.