Chain cracks more eggs in Tar Heel state

UNIVERSITY PARK — First Watch, a leading breakfast-brunch-lunch chain nationwide, will open its latest location in Raleigh April 6.

The opening, according to a release, is the chain's second in the Raleigh-Durham market under a five-store franchise agreement. The first one opened late last year.

“Raleigh is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country right now, which is why we're thrilled to be opening our second North Carolina First Watch with our fresh design in this booming area,” University Park-based First Watch Chief Marketing Officer Chris Tomasso says in the release.

The franchise agreement is with VIM Holdings, according to the statement. The president and founder of the franchise group, Robert Frame, has more than 20 years experience in the restaurant industry. He held executive positions with LongHorn Steakhouse and Waffle House, and he also ran operations for a Raleigh-based Applebee's franchise unit with more than 130 locations in 6 states.

“The support from the people in my home market of Raleigh in the six months since we opened the first location has been incredible,” says Frame in the statement. “We definitely saw a gap in the breakfast and lunch market here that needed to be filled, and First Watch has proven to be the perfect fit.”