Eat Athens: Find out what's on the menu at this new downtown eatery with a cheeky name
Some attributed the short life span of Scoville Hot Chicken to the fact that its pandemic-inspired, overgrown-vending-machine-like business model was too cold and impersonal to last in the historically lively downtown Athens restaurant scene. But Scoville didn't offer breakfast, and it didn't have a playfully entertaining name that reflected the time-honored weird humor of the Classic City.
The staying power of Effin Egg remains to be seen, but the breakfast chain opened its first Athens franchise location on Nov. 30 at 140 W. Broad St. in the space that previously housed Cinnaholic. Open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Effin Egg is aimed at on-the-go pedestrians looking to grab a quick bite on the way to somewhere else.
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With eight locations across the United States and more on the way, Effin Egg is a Florida-based chain that began franchising in 2021 and expanded to Atlanta before popping up mostly along the East Coast. Their emphasis is focused on flavor and convenience and less on the overall dining experience, and some Effin Egg locations are little more than indoor food trucks.
That pretty much sums up what the Athens Effin Egg is like. If you ever went into Cinnaholic, nothing has really changed about the setup except for the cashless ordering process. Instead of interacting with a person, your order is placed using an oversized touch screen tablet, and the staff is there to cook food and call out when orders are ready to pick up. If no other customers are in the shop, it almost appears that no one is there at all.
If menu options counted as people, Effin Egg would be full to capacity, as the choices range from 10 varieties of sandwiches to tacos, burritos, waffles, biscuits and cinnamon rolls. Everything is made fresh to order, so the time saved by using the kiosk and not having a cashier counting out change is instead spent in the kitchen. The sandwiches can be served on gluten-free buns or on bagels, and there are some very basic coffee options in addition to orange juice and fountain drinks.
When the Banner-Herald visited Effin Egg, we ordered the $10.75 O.G. meal, which consisted of a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich with a side of seven tater tots. The price included a fountain drink, but since we wanted orange juice, it was an extra $3.50. We also ordered an $11 spicy bacon brisket sandwich that tasted a lot better than the O.G., but both had a neat boost of flavor due to unique sauces that are added in the kitchen. Priced $3 higher than Café Racer's biscuit sandwiches, all you're paying for is the convenience.
To view the full menu for the Athens Effin Egg location, visit order.effinegg.com/order/effin-egg-athens-140-w-broad-st.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Eat Athens: Is Effin Egg any good?
