The exterior of the newest Brunches at The Pointe may currently look unassuming, with no signs to indicate what’s inside. But the recently opened eatery is a prelude to plans to catapult the brand to a regional presence with as many as 50 locations.
 
Located at 2030 Stonecrop Drive, the spot is the third in the growing family of Brunches. In addition to the recently opened restaurant in Midtown, owners Danny and Earl McPherson are working to add four locations in Raleigh – two of which could be serving guests as soon as this summer, according to Danny McPherson – as well as spots in Virginia and South Carolina.
 
Initially slated to open last spring, The Pointe’s Brunches took longer than planned because the brothers built the restaurant as a blueprint for future expansion.
 
“We put so much emphasis on this and took our time because this is what we want our prototype to be as we reach 50 locations. We wanted to make sure we could build a store that we could replicate in all of the additional markets we’ll be moving into,” Danny McPherson said.
 
This process was a group effort, Danny McPherson noted. Newman Brothers served as general contractor for designs from Adam Oaks of Goodrich Architecture, and Brunches staff helped with finishing touches to the decor inside. In a nod to the restaurant’s popular mimosas, bubbles adorn the walls of the new restaurant – an idea that Danny McPherson said came from his employees.
 
In addition to plans to expand the brand outside of Wilmington, the brothers see untapped demand for more Brunches locally, particularly in the fast-growing Leland and Porters Neck areas.
 
“There are still many opportunities for expansion within Wilmington. We’re still on a wait every single weekend, so there’s still demand for more,” Danny McPherson said.
 
Also in the works is a line of canned cocktails; mimosas, bloody marys and the eatery’s espresso martini are potential offerings.  
 
Danny McPherson credited the Brunches staff for the business’s ability to rapidly grow. He listed taking care of staff as his “No. 1 focus,” and the business offers perks uncommon to the industry including evenings off and paid vacation time.
 
“It’s really focusing on the energy of the staff so that they’re happy to come into work, which the customers feel – and it sounds funny, but they taste it too,” Danny McPherson said. “It’s like that old saying that you can tell if the person on the other end of the phone is smiling. You can taste it in the food if the cooks and the servers are happy and smiling.”
 
As the name implies, Brunches serves a Southern-style brunch experience, which Danny McPherson described as a balanced offering of classic breakfast, brunch and lunch fare. The most popular dish is the Chicken Biscuit Supreme, with two hand-breaded and fried chicken breasts served over biscuits and topped with eggs and sausage gravy. Brunches also offers secret menu items.

Mimosas are the darlings of the cocktail menu, which lists four flavors in the classic style or “loaded” with a shot of flavored Absolut vodka. Each week, Brunches staff invent new specialty drinks, like the Creamsicle mimosa with juice and a shot of vanilla flavored vodka.
 
All Brunches locations are open daily from 7:30 a.m. until 3 p.m.
 
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