Breakfast Republic Opens Palm Desert Location

PALM DESERT, CA — A favorite breakfast house that continues to open locations across the Southland is now serving hungry patrons in Palm Desert.

Breakfast Republic began welcoming customers earlier this month at 44491 Town Center Way and is set for an official ribbon-cutting celebration at 11 a.m. on Sept. 1.

The casual cafe offers new takes on American classics, such as Oreo pancakes, shrimp & grits, and s’mores French toast.

It is the brainchild of Johan Engman, who was born and raised in Östersund, Sweden, and moved to San Diego in 1997 as a teen.

Engman learned the restaurant ropes at an early age, starting off as a dishwasher while in high school. The years went by, but he stayed in the business, moving up the ranks, according to the Breakfast Republic website.

In 2008, Engman opened his first venture, Fig Tree Cafe in Pacific Beach, on a shoestring budget of $45,000. He lost money, but wouldn't give up. The restaurant finally turned a profit, and in 2011 he opened Fig Tree Cafe’s second location.

Lessons learned along the way prompted Engman to think about simplification and starting an eatery that served just one meal: breakfast.

In 2015, Engman launched his first Breakfast Republic in San Diego's North Park neighborhood, and that led to more and more locations. In addition to Palm Desert, the restaurant has spots in Carmel Valley, Costa Mesa, Culver City, East Village, Encinitas, Hillcrest, Irvine, La Jolla, Liberty Station, Long Beach, Mission Valley, North Park, Ocean Beach, Pacific Beach, Scripps Ranch and West Hollywood.

The Palm Desert Breakfast Republic is open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Get more information here.