NAZARETH, Pa. — Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
It’s what customers always want delivered in the form of a flight, and it’s what is the most difficult to prepare behind the scenes.
Still, restaurateurs in Easton and Nazareth say sales are enough that they can’t afford to ignore their customers — and the inconvenience in the kitchen is worth the repeated customer satisfaction, both in person and on social media.
At The Farm & Table, 119 South Main St. in Nazareth, the eggs Benedict flights are a customer favorite, and owner Amy Eckert said the bagel flights are popular, too, but it’s the eggs Benedict flights that have created the buzz on social media.
For $20, you can get two eggs Benedict with hash browns, or for $5 less, the bagel combo features three types of meat — sausage, bacon and Canadian bacon — on a plain or sesame bagel.
Mackenzie Christman
/
Lehigh Valley News
These two flights follow the success of The Farm & Table’s debut pancake flight and subsequent French toast flight.
Those menu items are no longer available, but Eckert said so many customers still requested the pancake platter that backstage staff is looking for ways to bring it back with less strain on the kitchen.
Overall, breakfast flights are demanding, both for the customers and the preparation required. Plus, the restaurant sources many of its ingredients locally.
“[The pancake flights] “Making the pancakes was the most time-consuming part,” Eckert said. “On a busy weekend, it can be a challenge to make six mini pancakes in three different flavors.”
Eggs Benedict flights have also been a big hit, and Eckert said they don’t plan on taking them off the menu anytime soon, given their popularity in restaurants and on social media.
Dave Buzzard, the restaurant’s “right-hand man,” said the restaurant sees several new customers on the weekend, its busiest day of the week, and joked that the eggs Benedict flight “gets photographed all the time.”
Pete Buonopane, the other owner of The Farm & Table, said he estimates the restaurant is selling about 60 to 70 deliveries per week.
“Lehigh Valley Food [Facebook group] “We definitely saw an increase in foot traffic,” Eckert said. “At first, we had a lot of regulars, it was like Cheers, everybody knew our names. Then we started advertising with Lehigh Valley Foods and it was like a hit.”
Easton takes action
Something similar is happening at The Raven 96 in Easton.
“So when I make something and people really love it – I can’t explain the feeling – if someone loves the pancake platter or they love Gabriele’s special, it reminds me why I do this.”
Raven Gabriel, owner of The Raven 96 in Easton
Owner Raven Gabriel said that when she first opened the brunch-themed restaurant in the old Simon Silk Mill on 13th Street, her mother “wanted to create something that would be perfect for the restaurant. [she] You might become famous.”
Inspired by a Pinterest post of mini pancakes topped with strawberries, Gabriele added three varieties of buttermilk pancakes with fresh, seasonal toppings to the menu for $19.
A few social media posts from Lehigh Valley Foods later, Gabriele was able to say, “The pancake flight garnered a lot of attention.”
Gabriele said that, like The Farm & Table, pancake flights can put a bit of strain on the kitchen, since cooking nine mini pancakes per order can lead to overcrowding on the grill during busy times.
But it’s all worth it, said the first-time business owner.
“I’d worked in restaurants my whole life, but I didn’t realize the gravity of running a restaurant,” she says, “so when I make something and people really like it, it’s a feeling that’s hard to describe, but if someone loves the pancake platter or they love Gabriele’s special, it reminds me why I do this.”
More options
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Also in Easton, Plants + Coffee, 1458 Northampton St., is suspending its bagel flights to debut a new deviled egg flight.
On June 3, the brunch spot posted to Facebook the flavors included in its six-egg deviled egg flight: Thai green curry, avocado toast, lox, jalapeño popper, soy sauce, and beet and horseradish. The food flight debuted on social media on May 28.
Plants + Coffee opens at 8 a.m. and closes at 2 p.m., but the deviled egg flights sold out by 10:36 a.m. on June 3, according to the post.
Editor’s note: LehighValleyNews.com will be visiting several food flight spots throughout the Lehigh Valley, so if you have any recommendations, contact Makenzie Christman at makenziec@lehighvalleynews.com or on Instagram at makenziemchristman.
