Breakfast Boutique opens with a bang at the Top of Hill

Posted 6/29/18

Desiree and Robert Pollard own and operate The Breakfast Boutique at 8630 Germantown Ave., which has had excellent business since it opened on May 1. by Carole Verona Desiree and Robert Pollard …

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Breakfast Boutique opens with a bang at the Top of Hill

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Desiree and Robert Pollard own and operate The Breakfast Boutique at 8630 Germantown Ave., which has had excellent business since it opened on May 1.

by Carole Verona

Desiree and Robert Pollard didn’t plan on opening The Breakfast Boutique at 8630 Germantown Ave. in Chestnut Hill. It came about when Sanjiv Jain, who owns the property, visited them at their Breakfast Boutique at 6830 Ogontz Ave. in West Oak Lane, which they opened in 2013. The couple also opened a Breakfast Boutique at 5917 N. Broad Street in North Philadelphia in 2014.

“He said he liked what we had going on. He enjoyed the food and the atmosphere and said it was something he would like to see in Chestnut Hill,” said Desiree. “He explained that he had a building that he wanted us to look at to see if we were interested.”

The Pollards came, saw and decided to open a Breakfast Boutique in Chestnut Hill. The restaurant officially opened on May 1. The couple were not intimated by the fact that the property was previously occupied by Tradewinds, which opened in January, 2017, and closed in March, 2018, and before that by Stella Sera, Bocelli 2 (Bocelli 1 is in the Gwynedd Valley Train Station) and Al Dana. All were BYOB restaurants.

The Pollards feel they have a recipe for the long-term success of their Chestnut Hill business. “First of all, we have a unique product,” said Desiree. “With a restaurant, you have to know the demand. Right now, there are not a lot of breakfast choices in Chestnut Hill. The other restaurants that have been here may not have been serving things that were in demand. Maybe that was the reason for their not being successful. Breakfast is a very important meal of the day for people. It gets them started and ready. We take breakfast and put a good twist on it. We make happy people.”

The Pollards also believe that the quality of the food will contribute to their success. “We cook everything from scratch. People like the feeling of a homey place where everything is done on the premises. Your order may take a little longer because everything is made fresh to order. If you order a chicken salad sandwich, we make it fresh. If you order a chicken breast sandwich, we grill the chicken right there. We don’t have pre-made items already stored.” The only menu items brought in from the outside are the desserts, made by Linette Mitchell of Our Cake Shop.

The menu offers traditional breakfast choices, such as eggs, omelets, red velvet waffles, pancakes and stuffed French toast, to more specialized dishes such as fried tilapia with creamy grits and cornbread, beef or turkey burgers, a variety of sandwiches, salads, quesadillas, wraps and fish and chips. A Sunday brunch at $15 per person features a waffle bar and an omelet bar. The restaurant offers gluten free, vegan and vegetarian options on the menu.

“Robert has worked in many restaurants during the last 25 years,” said Desiree. “The recipes at Breakfast Boutique come from what he learned during his training at The Culinary Institute of America and from hands-on experience throughout the city. He comes up with creative ideas and recipes of his own,” Desiree said. Her husband is also an artist, so presentation is very important. “You can eat food with your eyes even before you taste it, but when you eat it and it’s delicious, you’ve got a win-win.”

Thus far, Desiree said that business has proven to be good. “Since opening, we had only one slow day, and that was the day after the Memorial Day holiday,” said Desiree.

How did the concept of opening a breakfast restaurant come about? In 2013, Robert and Desiree had a catering business called Rodez Caterers. They also had full-time jobs. Desiree had been injured on the job, was on disability and out of work for almost two years. “I wanted to do something. I always wanted to have my own business. I always said I didn’t want to work for somebody else for the rest of my life …

“When we decided to open The Breakfast Boutique on Ogontz Avenue, our goal was to bring the downtown uptown. On a flight to Disney World, my husband was playing on his iPad and came up with the name Breakfast Boutique. It would be a place that offered fine dining at a reasonable price, where customers could get the same gourmet foods in West Oak Lane that they could get in center city.”

The Pollards live in West Oak Lane. They’ve been married for 16 years and have five children and six grandchildren. They’re both still under 50. They do oversee the running of each restaurant, although they have a manager at the Ogontz location. “It’s hard,” said Desiree. “I don’t have much of a life. I’m never really off.”

The Breakfast Boutique is open Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. More information: 215-621-7796. See the full menu at facebook.com/bbchestnuthill/

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