There are plenty of brunch concepts growing at a swift pace to meet increasing consumer demand for such an experiential occasion.
Then, there’s Con Huevos.
To be sure, the Louisville, Kentucky-based, Mexican-inspired breakfast and brunch concept is growing, and will open location number six in nearby Lexington in the fall. But don’t expect an acceleration thereafter. In fact, founders and husband-and-wife team Jesus Martinez and Izmene Peredo Martinez have turned down opportunities to open in additional markets like Nashville because they’re too far right now.
“We want to scale, but the purpose for us is to have a brand for the next 100 years,” Jesus said during a recent interview. “We want this to live for other generations versus other businesses that get some type of investment and want a return as fast as possible. Or, maybe sometimes the business grows because of ego. Or, maybe someone is growing just to become rich or richer.
“We don’t need that. Our purpose as a business is fulfilled.”
In addition to having a brand for the next 100 years, the couple’s purpose is centered on family. The Martinezes opened their first Con Huevos location in 2015, shortly after they relocated from Guadalajara, Mexico, when Louisville-based Brown-Forman acquired Tequila Herradura, where they both worked and where Jesus served as the brand director. They eventually resigned from the corporate world because they noticed a gap in the breakfast space in their new hometown — especially the Mexican breakfast space — and saw the opportunity to build their own business.
“I loved working for (Brown-Forman), but when you are following your dreams, you feel energized,” Jesus said. “What I did for a living was develop brands from scratch and launch them for big companies. Analyzing the market, developing brands, launching them, and going for the next one — that’s been my path.”
When the path led to the idea for Con Huevos, the couple knew they not only wanted to fill a gap but also stand out in the market. There are no freezers in their restaurants, for instance. Everything is scratch-made every day using Izmene’s family recipes from Guadalajara. Beyond the menu, the company also leans heavily into the culture of Mexico, which Jesus said is important to ensure authenticity amid an increasingly crowded market.
“In Mexico in the 1950s, 88% of the population was poor. We’ve historically been a poor country, so families were suffering every day to bring food to the table,” he said. “We have progressed, but back then, it was a bad situation, and families had to become very creative to feel ready for the challenges of the day.”
Food, he added, was considered a reward following a day of hard work, and Mexican women in particular would create “sensorially complex dishes to feed the souls of the people and energize them.”
“That’s why everything about our food is happy,” Jesus said. “It’s not just about the ingredients; it’s about getting people ready for the challenges ahead and celebrating the end of the day. We want to bring that experience to everyone.”
The Martinezes said their focus is to ensure this culture translates to their employees, whom they call “extended family,” adding that if they take care of their employees, their employees will then take care of their customers. They feed their team members in every restaurant before the doors open in the morning, for example.
Next up, Lexington
Con Huevos has since grown to five locations throughout the Louisville market the plan is to open number six in Lexington, Kentucky, in the fall, about 80 miles away. The couple said Lexington is a logical next step for the company and will also serve as a test to help them understand the viability of even further expansion, albeit slow and steady.
Con Huevos had three locations opened prior to the pandemic, including one in a new Omni Hotel in downtown Louisville. In 2022, number four opened, and about a year and a half later, number five opened. Following the Lexington debut, the company plans to open number seven across the river from Louisville in Indiana and then look for additional opportunities nearby.
“Once we learn how to manage long distance, and the adjustments we need to make to make it happen, we’ll continue to grow in an organic way. Growth is inevitable at this point, but we need to be smart to make sure we’re doing it right,” Jesus said. “We’re not in a rush.”
For now, the chain is focused on updating systems and processes and rolling out a new point-of-sale system. It has started doing more consumer research to try and understand the needs of its consumer based and fine-tuning its brand positioning accordingly.
“We’re marketing people and we have the benefit of experience in the corporate world, so we’re always trying to think mid-to-long-term,” Jesus said. “But Louisville is just one size. We might have room for one or two more here, but we need to learn how to manage a restaurant long distance, so the brand lasts for 100 years. And when it reaches 100 years, I want another 100 years.”
Franchising isn’t an option — at least not now — and neither is taking on outside investments. Jesus said he’s witnessed too many brunch concepts grow too far too fast, make mistakes, and then close stores.
“They need to focus on efficiency because they need a quick return to the investors, but they’re not exactly keeping the experience and atmosphere and recipes,” Jesus said. “For us, there is more of a purpose behind what we do. The key to our business is the ‘why.’”
Contact Alicia Kelso at Alicia.Kelso@informa.com
Follow her on TikTok: @aliciakelso
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