Bruxie, the Orange County, CA-based brand known for its “bold, fun, and unconventional waffle sandwiches,” is set to make its Georgia debut in about three weeks’ time with an Athens outpost, before entering the greater Atlanta market later this year with regional franchisee Brett Gibson at the helm.
“Pretty much all we can confirm right now is yes, we plan to open restaurants in Atlanta,” Rich DeAugustinis, Bruxie’s director of strategic initiatives, tells What Now Atlanta. “It’s a priority for us, we will be opening restaurants, and we’re in the search-and-seek-mode right now.”
DeAugustinis adds that while the company would love to open one or more of those Atlanta locations by year’s end, it’s simply too early to make any guarantees.
At a time when the fried chicken market is experiencing exponential growth globally, Bruxie sets itself apart from the pack with a menu of quirky and innovative fried chicken waffle sandwiches, including The Crispy prepared with shredded romaine lettuce, tomato, pickle, and Bruxie sauce, the Kickin’ Nashville Hot made with tangy sauce, shredded lettuce, and pickles, and the Buffalo Chicken featuring buffalo sauce, celery slaw, and blue cheese dressing.
Meanwhile, there’s also a menu of breakfast waffle sandwiches and specialty waffle sandwiches, ranging from the NY Deli-Style Hot Pastrami & Swiss which sees Boar’s Head pastrami, Swiss cheese, cider slaw, spicy brown mustard, and pickles piled high on a waffle, to the Green Eggs & Ham, served with two large eggs overhard, sliced ham, melted cheddar, mayo, and arugula pesto.
Bruxie is a relatively young brand, having opened its first restaurant in 2010. In the years since, the company has opened four more locations around Southern California, with Athens marking its first out-of-state operation. Perhaps more impressive, however, Bruxie launched its international franchise program with a South Korea opening in 2017, followed by India’s New Delhi a couple of years later.
In a statement announcing the Athens debut, Gibson said, “Athens is home to champions, and when you win back-to-back national football titles, we will build a Bruxie in your town – with winning recipes and menu items unlike anything else. Bruxie’s signature waffle sandwiches, incredible chicken tenders, scratch-made sauces, and thick shakes will bring mouth-watering, championship flavors to downtown Athens, and we can’t wait to welcome the local community into our restaurant very soon.”
Likewise, Bruxie CEO Scott Grinstead said, “Bruxie’s creative menu is unlike anything Athens currently offers, and we’re proud to introduce our unique menu and dining concept to the community as an exciting new dining destination for [University of Georgia] students and local residents to call their own. We’re looking forward to becoming a fixture in the Athens community and are eager for our new guests to experience Bruxie’s unconventional sandwiches, salads, tenders, and desserts for themselves.”
