'Too good' for to-go: Kenwood Southern breakfast spot laying roots in former Branch space

Victoria Moorwood, Cincinnati Enquirer
·3 min read
Trey Graham, 31, opened 6 ‘n the Mornin' in Kenwood in 2022. The restaurant is moving to the former Central Trust Bank in Walnut Hills, opening in the spring.
Trey Graham, 31, opened 6 ‘n the Mornin' in Kenwood in 2022. The restaurant is moving to the former Central Trust Bank in Walnut Hills, opening in the spring.

The art deco-style former bank in Walnut Hills will soon house a Cincinnati restaurateur's expanding dream.

6 ‘n the Mornin', a Southern-style breakfast restaurant currently located near Kenwood Towne Centre, is moving into the 102-year-old building, which most recently housed Branch until the restaurant closed in October 2022.

Owner Trey Graham opened 6 ‘n the Mornin' in July 2022 with a "COVID-proof" business model focused on to-go orders but said it quickly outgrew the 1,200-square-foot space as it gained popularity.

With a larger kitchen and sit-down dining space, 6 ‘n the Mornin' will offer an expanded menu in Walnut Hills. The restaurant specializes in Southern-style breakfast foods.
With a larger kitchen and sit-down dining space, 6 ‘n the Mornin' will offer an expanded menu in Walnut Hills. The restaurant specializes in Southern-style breakfast foods.

"Customers, on day one, started saying, 'Hey, this food is too good to be eaten out of to-go plates,'" Graham told The Enquirer. "They wanted a full dining setting ... (and) to pair it with mimosas, liquor and cocktails."

Graham considered moving his restaurant downtown but settled on the former Central Trust Bank building at 1535 Madison Road. He said when seeing the space, "It was love at first sight."

6 ‘n the Mornin's Kenwood location will close Jan. 28 and its Walnut Hills space will open this spring. Rachel Thompson and Gabriela Costantini of 3CRE Commercial Real Estate, which represented Graham in the lease, think the addition will be great for the neighborhood. Walnut Hills also recently welcomed the new Aperture fine dining eatery, King Pigeon cocktail/coffee shop, The Fix Coffeehouse & Bar and Solstice, a taco restaurant.

"We're really excited for Walnut Hills, especially with it being a Black-owned business," Thompson said.

Rachel Thompson, left, and Gabriela Costantini of 3CRE Commercial Real Estate represented Graham in the lease. His brother Josh Long, right, serves as general manager of the restaurant.
Rachel Thompson, left, and Gabriela Costantini of 3CRE Commercial Real Estate represented Graham in the lease. His brother Josh Long, right, serves as general manager of the restaurant.

With 6,582 square feet of total space and a much larger kitchen, the new 6 ‘n the Mornin' will expand its hours and menu, including "more upscale" offerings, Graham said. The restaurant will serve breakfast and brunch from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., including old menu favorites like chicken and waffles and pancakes, and new items such as steak and eggs, lamb chops and burgers.

6 ‘n the Mornin' will then transition into an evening concept, open from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., with a speakeasy bar in the lower level, a hookah lounge in the courtyard, music, bar foods and poetry/spoken word performances.

The upper level will remain untouched, aesthetically. The basement will be decorated with artwork inspired by '90s cartoons, designed by Embress Latimer and executed by the Often Seen and Rarely Spoken art team.

Latimer and the team will also recreate the tri-city mural they installed at 6 ‘n the Mornin' in Kenwood. Covering one wall, the mural paints together the skylines of Jacksonville, Florida (where Graham was born), Altana (where he was raised) and New Orleans (where his brother and general manager Josh Long is from). The new mural will be painted on the outside of the former bank building in the courtyard and will also feature Cincinnati's skyline.

The mural at 6 'n the Mornin' in Kenwood will be recreated at the new location, adding a Cincinnati skyline.
The mural at 6 'n the Mornin' in Kenwood will be recreated at the new location, adding a Cincinnati skyline.

The mural will represent "unity, teamwork and collaboration," Graham said. "Kind of tying the story of my life all together and how we're gonna collaborate going forward."

6 ‘n the Mornin' is Graham's first restaurant. Armed with a business management degree from Florida State University, he moved to Cincinnati in 2019 for a job with Macy's. He was soon furloughed, though, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Craving the comfort and flavors of home, Graham began searching Cincinnati for a Southern-style breakfast spot. Not finding what he was looking for, he decided to pursue his true passion – entrepreneurship – and open one himself.

"Now we're here," he reflected. "A year-and-a-half later, moving and expanding from 1,200 square feet into six times the space. It's been pretty remarkable."

A 31-year-old single father, Graham hopes his story will inspire other hopeful entrepreneurs.

"It's not easy ... but you never know what could be if you don't try," he said. "I've only been here four years. I didn't have any connections ‒ didn't know a single soul ‒ when I moved here. Now I have a lot of connections, and that's just because of perseverance. I never gave up."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 6 ‘n the Mornin' bringing brunch, nightlife concept to Walnut Hills