Day: January 23, 2020

Eggs Up Grill: Where They Love You, Yes You  by Melissa LaScaleia Don Rau, the owner of the Eggs Up Grill on the outskirts of the Market Common, has been working in the restaurant business his entire life. His father and grandfather before him did the same.  Growing up, Don helped in his family’s restaurant in Ohio, and eventually took over the family business as an adult. It was a full service restaurant, banquet, and lounge, with frequent live entertainment. They served breakfast beginning at 6am, and were open late into the night.  “Eggs Up Grill reminds me of what my parents started when they first began in this business,” Don says, “because they served only breakfast and lunch. My dad cooked and my mom was a waitress. And then they grew and expanded. And now here I am with Eggs Up Grill.”  Eggs Up Grill is a franchise that was established out of Pawley’s Island in 1986 by Chris Skodras. Don’s restaurant now is comprised of more than just he and his wife, but it’s the same kind of family-oriented concept his parents started out with.  Don was enticed by the atmosphere and family-oriented feel of the company which lent him a sense of security and led him to believe that the venture would be successful for him and his family going forward.  Which it has been.  In addition to the quintessential eggs one would expect to find, the menu also includes sandwiches, soups, and Southern inspired dishes. — Photo Meganpixels Parker Don is now celebrating the recent opening of his second Eggs Up Grill location in Prince Creek, in Murrells Inlet— an up-and-coming housing and retail area similar to the Market Common.  Eggs Up Grill serves one menu throughout its hours of operation from 6am-2pm. Both locations have a new and expanded menu and include traditional breakfast favorites like omelets and eggs Benedict, as well as burgers and club sandwiches and homemade soup.  There are vegetarian options, as well as gluten-free batter for pancakes and waffles that are cooked in a gluten environment (the menu calls the items gluten-free friendly). The updates include more desserts, as well as additional flavors that borrow from Southern cuisine.  One of their highlights is the shrimp and grits omelette, and the Bananas Foster has a bit of a cult following. The expanded lunch menu incorporates more sandwiches, with fan favorites like the pimento cheeseburger.  “We try to be health conscious and offer options for a lot of different people and for anybody’s liking,” Don says.  — Photo Meganpixels Parker In keeping with that mission, he’s transitioning both locations to a ‘Make it Your Own Menu.’ With this innovation, diners can create their own plates from a la carte selections, so they can taper their meals to their needs and desires— a process that allows the greatest freedom, and that’s price efficient too.  “I’m tickled to death to satisfy people and give the best hospitality because I believe that’s the heart and soul of how to sustain a good business— keeping the customer satisfied,” Don says.  The new Murrells Inlet location is the exclusive home to a drink line which may be incorporated at Market Common and other locations in the future. Here, Don is offering specialty coffees, espresso, cold brew, and lattes that he’s test marketing for the entire brand.  The new location will also have outdoor patio dining just like in Market Common, and it’s pet friendly too. It sports a soothing, soft atmosphere with its teal-based color palette that works harmoniously with the beach, and has a friendly, cute, and homey feel.  Don is grateful for his employees who have helped to make his business a success, among them Brooklyn Price, who, as front of the house manager ensures hospitality standards are being met, and that all guests feel at home at Eggs Up Grill.  The new location in Murrells Inlet. — Photo Meganpixels Parker “Over the past two-and-a-half years I’ve established myself at the Market Common so that I can expand and extend the wonderful lifestyle that I’ve built for myself and my employees to more people in the community,” Don says.  Eggs Up Grill gives Don an opportunity to focus on what he loves, (which is breakfast), and it gives him the afternoons to be able to spend with his family (which he also loves). The latter is a benefit that all of Don’s employees receive, and one that he feels blessed to be able to offer.  “My general manager at the new location, Tom Lorenzana— his father was in the Air Force,” Don says.  “As a child, Tom grew up at the Myrtle Beach Air Force Base. I’ve known him ever since I’ve been here, thirteen-and-a-half years. It’s a good feeling for me to give him the opportunity to work the hours I have. And he’s ecstatic about it.”  In addition to creating employment opportunities with family friendly hours, Don is happy to be able to engage in outreach work in the community.  He works with the Lion’s Club; helps with non-profits like Backpacks for Kids; and sponsors a local hockey team.  Every Veteran’s Day, Eggs Up Grill hosts a Veteran’s Appreciation day.  “It’s a good feeling,” Don says. “And I’m looking forward to creating the same type of involvement in the Prince Creek area.” Eggs Up Grill Map-marked-alt Globe Phone Facebook

Making Both Customers and Their Homes Comfortable by Melissa LaScaleia Chris Quade, owner and operator of Beach Air in Myrtle Beach, grew up in Indiana. At nineteen, he joined the Navy and traveled the world, meeting his wife in Philadelphia while he was stationed there. Afterwards, he attended technical college to study heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration.  “I graduated in 1998, then my wife and I moved to Myrtle Beach,” Chris says. “I was from a small town and didn’t want to live in a big city, and my wife was from a big city and didn’t want to live in a small town. Myrtle Beach felt like a good compromise, and we’ve been here for twenty-one years now. It’s kind of like a big city with a small town feel where everybody knows everybody.”  Chris began his career working for a heating and air conditioning company doing installation and duct work. After eighteen years learning the ins and outs of the business, he was looking for a new challenge and decided to branch out on his own.  “Myrtle Beach is full of opportunities for entrepreneurs,” he says. “Probably if you can think of it and want to do it, you can do it here.”  What Chris thought of was Beach Air— a company which keeps its offerings simple and value high by conducting residential as well as commercial repairs, installation, and servicing for heating and cooling units. When he first got started, Chris traded in his pickup truck for a van, and began working out of his garage alone. By 2018, he had thirteen employees, and today, he has nineteen vehicles on the road, and twenty-five employees.     “We’ve definitely had a huge amount of growth in a short period of time,” he says.  Chris attributes his success to assiduously upholding his company’s core values. His methods are unique— an expression of small town humility with big city professionalism— a blending of his roots and loves.     “We treat customers like employees, employees like customers, and both like family,” he says. “That means we’re direct and honest in our words and actions, and care about helping.  “You’d be amazed how many times companies will try to sell stuff to customers, just to sell stuff. Conversely, we spend time getting to know our customers to find out what their needs are. It’s that kind of honesty that keeps people with us. When you call Beach Air, you’re calling a friend.”  The Beach Air Team, with professional and talented employees, is committed to delivering a “Wow” experience for all of their customers. Chris carefully selects his employees, choosing talented technicians who naturally fit with his company culture, and training them further.  It’s essential that they have a positive attitude— which he sees as a combination of having the willingness to try doing new things, having confidence in your abilities, and infusing your mind with high quality thoughts. “I like to develop the people around me,” he says. “I focus on skills as well as those standards of professionalism and customer satisfaction on which I built my company.”  Additionally, there is a straightforward, ‘get it done,’ mentality that drives a continuous forward motion at his company. The employees are self-directed, self-motivated, and have a penchant for growth— delivering more than is required in their work.  “We seek to always deliver a wow experience to our customers,” Chris says. “We’re personable and fun because we’re knowledgeable about what we’re doing and we enjoy it. And those qualities inspire our clients to trust us; because we put them at ease when they need our help.”  “My greatest satisfaction,” he continues, “is being able to help those who really need it. A lot of people are elderly, or have small babies and it’s 50 degrees in the house. Being able to help people in those types of situations means a lot to me.”  Another quality that’s important to Chris is taking the time to educate his customers.  “Some customers are more inquisitive,” he says. “So when a service technician is at their home, we keep them involved in the process as much as they want to be involved. It’s their home, and we don’t want to just hand them a line item bill without showing them what’s happening. We think that’s hugely important for customer relationships.”  Chris likes to educate people on the importance of having their heating/cooling unit serviced twice a year so that it’s functioning optimally and will be reliable in extreme temperatures.  “Heat pumps are not really designed to be in that cold of temperatures,” he explains. “They will work when it’s 15 degrees outside, but they have to be operating at their peak performance. And similarly, when it’s 95 degrees outside, it’s pushed to the max and is going to struggle.”  Beach Air’s flagship location with their fleet of vehicles at the ready. — Photo Beach Air Chris loves reading through the online Google reviews people leave for his company.  “Seeing all the great things people say about us drives me to do my best,” he says. “I want to be looked at as a community-based company. We’re a part of the community too, and we want to help the community. I don’t want to be seen as a huge company just trying to take the next dollar.”  “I’m always looking to the future and planning for it,” he adds. “I certainly want to grow our customer base and we’re going to grow our employees, but from a place of where we can still hold our same core values. I want to be known as the preferred heating and air conditioning company on the Grand Strand, not necessarily the biggest.  “I want people to see our logo or van driving down the beach, and to be recognized as the company that’s best in customer service. I don’t want a one-time customer, I want lifetime customers. And I work to achieve that by treating each customer as if they’re the most important, and ensuring their complete satisfaction before moving on to the next.”    Chris likes to donate his time by attending career day at Forestbrook Middle School, where … Read more