"We've been wanting to open a second location for the last few years, and the guy who owns the building where the first DJ's is, also owns the building on Ninth and Lincoln, and when we told him we wanted to expand, he offered us a great opportunity," says Devin.
The restaurant, he tells me, will closely resemble the original DJ's, which offers breakfast (the eggs Benedict are remarkable) and lunch to a perpetually packed house, the biggest difference being the size -- and the addition of a liquor license, which the Berkeley address doesn't have. "We've met with the architect, and we're going to keep things pretty much the same, although we do have more space, which is cool, and we'll definitely have a fun drink menu with bloody Marys, bellinis, mimosas and a few surprises," says Devin, adding that he and Jason will also continue to feature local artwork on the walls, a coffee counter and the same menu.
"The food will be the same at both locations, although we're going to expand it to include more gluten-free dishes, more omelets and more sandwiches," he reveals, noting that he believes the Golden Triangle 'hood is devoid of noteworthy breakfast emporiums. "We looked downtown for a while, but decided it was too transient. We liked the peripheral neighborhoods better, and we saw a need in this neighborhood, especially, for a great breakfast and lunch place," adds Devin.He and Jason hope that they'll open by the end of October, and down the line, add a patio. "We're still in the beginning stages, and once we clean the place up, we'll see what we're dealing with, but the hope is that at some point, we can add a patio and then, we'll see what else we can do," he says.
The hours will be same at both cafes: 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays and 7 to 3 p.m. on weekends.
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