HomeGrown East Profile - Good relationships: Making more than brunch

I met Jon Rolph a few years back when he and his business associate, Brian Donnelly, entered Reverie together for the first time. Jon, President & CEO of Thrive Restaurant Group (formerly SASNAK) is an engaging individual. He took the time to ask me a bunch of questions about our business and our processes. I later found out that he and Brian were on the hunt to discover vendor relationships and products to be served at their new restaurant concept, HomeGrown. At this time, the first location on N. Maize Road in Northwest Wichita had not even been announced.

Tie Groth (Principal CES service manager), Left, and Andrew Gough (Reverie owner), Right, enjoying brunch at HomeGrown East.

Jon and his team are giving people. He offered up a portion of his personal time if I ever needed to run an idea past or to call on him for advice. Reverie was in the final planning stages for our major relocation project across from East High School and I had a ton of unanswered questions. The timing was perfect.

Brian and I met on several occasions to talk through our proposed service model and kitchen design. Having 20+ years managing Carlos O’Kelly’s restaurants and The Good Egg, formally located at 21st & Rock Road, he really helped me think through many of the challenges we would face as our business model became more like a restaurant with the addition of a kitchen and bakery. The relationship proved to be much more valuable than just a coffee vendor to a restaurant; Brian is also a great friend who is always there to answer the call and be straight forward with how we can be better.

Fast forward nearly two years and the second location opens in East Wichita. Located in Bradley Fair, HomeGrown East is a continuation of the great things being done out west. Fresh and clean décor, friendly service, and great presentation and tasty food. The restaurant is absolutely booming; HomeGrown is a great fit for East Wichita.

On my first visit, I brought along our service manager, Tie Groth, to check in on the espresso machine and barista. Reverie supplies HomeGrown Wichita East and West with Boneshaker Espresso, as well as espresso equipment management services through our cousin company, Principal Coffee Equipment Solutions (CES). We enjoyed a variety of brunch classics, including Eggs Benedict, Biscuits & Gravy, Yoder bacon, and HomeGrown’s signature coffee cake.

The food was fantastic. Poached eggs are one of the most memorable foods for me because of my father. He poaches eggs for our family regularly, so my standards are relatively high. Perfectly poached eggs are difficult to get right and these were perfect…tensely set whites with oozing yellow yolks. Be sure to break them open quickly so they don’t overcook on your plate.

HomeGrown barista steaming milk for a latte using Reverie’s Boneshaker Espresso.

One thing that makes HomeGrown Wichita different than other breakfast restaurants in Wichita is the espresso bar. Having a well-prepared espresso or latte really elevates the service experience for customers. Reverie has set up HomeGrown East with the latest technology in super-automatic espresso machines to guide their barista staff in making quality specialty espresso beverages quickly. Today, Franke Coffee Systems is making it easier for restaurants to provide premium quality specialty coffee beverages.

HomeGrown Wichita believes wholeheartedly in building community by cultivating kindness. According to their website, they…“don’t do this alone. We partner with many local producers who share their gifts and expertise to create community at every table.”

You can buy Boneshaker Espresso at both HomeGrown locations in Wichita, along with may other locally sourced products.

As a specialty shop product and service provider, we understand the importance of building lasting relationships. Working with HomeGrown Wichita has been a rewarding experience for me and our business. There are not many opportunities to get to work with professionals as experienced by the team at Thrive Restaurant Group. We do everything to stay rooted in our local coffee and business culture, but at the end of the day, we are a business that needs to thrive in order to survive. I’m excited to continue working with businesses like HomeGrown Wichita as we continue to grow our wholesale coffee and equipment servicing business.

Get out and experience HomeGrown East. You won’t be disappointed.

HomeGrown Wichita East
1900 N. Rock Road, Suite #108
Wichita, KS 67206
(316) 315–0110
www.homegrownwichita.com