Johan Engman, founder and CEO of Breakfast Republic, was born in Östersund, Sweden, and moved to California—his mother’s home state—during high school. To help cover rent, he took on jobs as a dishwasher, busser, and server, marking his first steps into the restaurant world. “That was kind of my introduction to the restaurant industry,” Engman says, “Then when I was 25, I gave myself a two-year ultimatum that I needed to figure out a way to make a career out of this industry.”
He met his self-imposed deadline, and at age 27, Engman was able to scramble together enough funds to open Fig Tree Cafe in Pacific Beach in October 2008. The cafe did not do well in its infancy, yet Engman remained steadfast.
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While working multiple other jobs to make up for Fig Tree Cafe’s losses, Engman says that he did not take one day off during the three-year period after the cafe’s opening. His commitment paid off—Fig Tree Cafe soon opened two more locations.
In the newfound accomplishment, Engman says, “I looked back at, not necessarily mistakes, but what I maybe could have done better, and instead of rebranding [the three Fig Tree Cafe locations] because they were doing fine, I decided to come up with something new.”
Founder: Johan Engman
HQ: San Diego, California
Cuisine: American Breakfast/Brunch/Lunch
Units: 16
One key decision for Engman was to make the cuisine unmistakable in the name of his new concept. Breakfast Republic—a nod to the Golden State’s original moniker, the California Republic—left no doubt about what was on the menu. “Hence, with a name like Breakfast Republic, it’s pretty hard to think we’re an Italian steakhouse,” he quips.
At the time in San Diego, Engman says, “When I looked around at breakfast places [near the first location of Breakfast Republic], it was kinda all the same—booths, tables, chairs, sugar caddies. There was no effort, I thought. So I wanted to put a lot of emphasis on standing out.”
Open for breakfast 365 days a year from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Breakfast Republic quickly grew into an iconic spot known for high-quality, unique dishes in a fun atmosphere.
Inside the dining rooms, customers can find bright yellow chairs in the shape of cracked eggs, and quirky decor accents or laughable quotes with every visit. Whether it is the “definitely booze in this cup” written on the underside of their coffee mugs or the unique song and movie quote/joke combo that plays when someone locks their bathroom stall, Engman has curated a vibe designed to spark conversation, either in tableside conversation or on an Instagram story (or both).
Breakfast Republic’s menu is as bold and playful as its décor, featuring inventive twists on morning staples. The Jurassic Pork Benedict layers pork bacon over a sourdough english muffin, topped with poached eggs, creamy hollandaise sauce, and garnished with parsley. The Pineapple Upside Down Pancakes are topped with brown-sugar pineapple and pineapple whipped butter, while the Mr. Presley French Toast is stuffed with peanut butter and topped with bananas foster and bacon.
The menu also offers bold takes on brunch beverage classics, including the Jurassic Bloody Mary made with jurassic pork bacon, vodka, and the house bloody mary mix, or the Sparkling Strawberry Screwdriver with freshly squeezed orange juice, strawberry syrup, vodka, and bubbles. Mimosas come in flavors like guava, lychee, cranberry, and grapefruit, while the Big Boozy Brew Shot cocktail combines an espresso shot with espresso vodka and Irish cream liqueur for a caffeinated punch. There’s even a house-branded Prosecco, imported from a 400-year-old Italian vineyard, to round out the mix of creative and crowd-pleasing sips.
Without the budget for traditional marketing, Engman turned to bold, eye-catching merchandise as a form of free promotion. Colorful T-shirts and mugs featuring cheeky, breakfast-themed phrases quickly became walking billboards throughout San Diego’s North Park neighborhood.
Today, Breakfast Republic accounts for 16 of the 23 restaurants under Rise & Shine Hospitality Group, which Engman founded in 2008 with the opening of the original Fig Tree Cafe. The group officially launched in 2016 and has grown entirely without the backing of private equity.
Engman’s growing portfolio under Rise & Shine Hospitality Group includes several other breakfast-focused concepts across Southern California, such as Eggies, Gaslamp Breakfast Company, Feast & Fareway, Breakfast Company, 6th & G Breakfast Co., and Ox Coffee. The latter operates both as a café and a full-scale roasting facility, sourcing beans from organic farmers in Peru and supplying freshly roasted coffee to all Rise & Shine locations. Vertical integration, Engman says, plays a critical role in keeping quality high and costs manageable—particularly in the challenging economic landscape of operating restaurants in California.
That same commitment to quality and sustainability carries over to Breakfast Republic’s sourcing practices. The brand proudly features local goods and ingredients, including regional vodka, bread, and kombucha, along with housemade sauces, salsas, and syrups. When it comes to eggs, Breakfast Republic uses pasture-raised Vital Farms products—an intentional choice that speaks to Engman’s values. “I think that is another reason why I’ve never taken on any big investors,” he says. “Generally, when a big investor comes in, they’ll look at that and they’ll say we could save tens of thousands by using a cheaper egg product, and I just don’t like the idea of that.”
Breakfast Republic also has a sustainability program through Resource Management Group, where excess food waste is sent to be either composted locally or used as nourishment for livestock.
Beyond sourcing locally, Rise & Shine Hospitality Group is deeply committed to supporting the communities it serves. Through its nonprofit arm, also named Rise & Shine, the company donates $1 for every designated dish sold at its restaurants—such as the French Toast Sampler at Breakfast Republic. The funds go directly toward local nonprofits or are used to host food giveaways.
“The mission of [Rise & Shine] is to have a positive impact in all the communities that we do business in,” he says.
That mission was put to the test during the early days of the COVID pandemic. Before PPP loans or stimulus checks were available, Rise & Shine provided more than 8,983 hot meals to laid-off restaurant workers and healthcare professionals—offering three meals a day with no questions asked. “I wasn’t sure where we were going,” Engman recalls, “and in those times, that’s when it matters. It’s pretty easy to say you’ll donate money when everything’s going fine, but when you’re uncertain of your own future, those donations speak pretty loudly. Without fully knowing how we’d pay for it was a big deal, but it came back tenfold.”
Breakfast Republic also maintains partnerships with local Little League teams, a San Diego school supporting unhoused youth, and LGBTQ community centers, reinforcing the brand’s connection to its neighborhoods.
At the heart of the concept is a strong set of values. Engman says the company “hires and fires” based on core traits like resilience, scrappiness, humility, innovation, and an ownership mentality. By staying true to these principles—and prioritizing high-quality ingredients and exceptional service—he believes the brand creates a dining experience guests genuinely enjoy, which creates long-term success.
Looking ahead, while Engman is still actively in negotiations for two new locations within SoCal, he says he is currently studying the market in the “more pro-business state” of Texas, and hopes to expand there in the coming years.
