Former college startup founders reunite for brunch concept: Why they jumped at this franchise twist

WICHITA, Kansas — Jacob O’Connor and Jon Peterson — two former Wichita State students turned entrepreneurs — are teaming up once again, this time for brunch, they shared.

The high school friends and co-founders of 618 Ventures and Player Card are partnering with a mentor to bring the upscale, Orlando-based brunch concept Another Broken Egg Cafe to Wichita later this summer.

Jon Peterson and Jacob O’Connor, Player Card

After graduating in 2023, the duo dissolved Player Card — their startup that connected college athletes to NIL opportunities — to briefly pursue other opportunities, including O’Connor’s former role as NXTUS capital program manager and syndicate manager for Accelerate Venture Partners.

But this opportunity to open a franchise has brought them back together again.

“It’s pretty special,” O’Connor said of their relationship, “from us playing basketball together in high school and being best friends first and then naturally having our interests end up in a similar spot. It’s almost like we’re brothers at this point. We get on each other’s nerves, but we know how to handle it. And at the end of the day, it’s all love and we have a great time.”

“We know each other’s strengths, weaknesses, personalities, things like that,” Peterson added. “It’s business for us and we make it work pretty well.”

From the archives: College entrepreneurs match their student-athlete peers with NIL brand-building business

A mentor they got to know through their time at Wichita State — and who is developing a strip mall in north Wichita — approached O’Connor and Peterson about the opportunity for bringing a new brunch concept to the area.

“They enlisted Jon and I had to do some market research to figure out what would make sense and just to figure out what deal would make sense for all of us,” O’Connor explained. “That was an opportunity that we jumped at.”

Market research meant getting to try a lot of eggs, bacon, biscuits and gravy across the country, they noted, while being wined and dined by potential franchises. Their list started at 25 brands, and after they narrowed it down to 10, they visited most of those, some twice.

“We got to travel all over the U.S., which was really big for me,” O’Connor said. “I love to travel and try all this different food and that was a really, really fun highlight for me, personally.”

“It’s really cool,” Peterson added. “A lot of them have the waffles and pancakes and stuff like that, but they all add a little bit of a twist to it. So it was really fun to get to recognize those twists and try all the different chef-inspired creations.”

They landed on Another Broken Egg — which already has locations in Overland Park and Prairie Village — because it was different from other brunch options in Wichita and is a brand with versatility, they noted. It offers traditional items like omelets and pancakes, plus southern-inspired items like shrimp and grits and a full-service bar.

“We wanted to make sure that this concept would stick out and make a name for itself in Wichita,” Peterson said, “and just meld well with the culture.” 

Cracking the franchise model

With no restaurant experience under their belts, O’Connor and Peterson decided the franchise model made the most sense, they said.

Jon Peterson, Another Broken Egg Cafe; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

“It really offered us a playbook into what it means to develop out a restaurant,” Peterson explained. “We wanted that playbook in order to get a jumpstart on the restaurant business.”

“I’ve had good business experience the last four years from high school to college, doing things from a startup or business standpoint,” O’Connor added. “But having someone that can explain how restaurants operate, what makes sense, and a proven model is really important to us.”

To fully immerse themselves in the Another Broken Egg playbook, the duo spent almost four months in Orlando where the company is headquartered, they shared, noting traditional training is about two weeks. They learned not only the financial aspects of the franchise but also the day-to-day operations, including working in the kitchen.

“I’m not gonna lie, we pretty much have learned every part of the business,” Peterson continued. “We’ve seen everything. We’ve touched everything. It’s been a lot of hands-on work.”

“It’s like the osmosis process, where you go in and you don’t know anything,” O’Connor added, “and then you just get so overwhelmed. But eventually you have that adaptation muscle and you can figure it out and everything starts to make sense and click.”

Jacob O’Connor, Another Broken Egg Cafe; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Spending more time in Florida, O’Connor noted, also allowed them to expand their mentor network.

“They have a lot of very successful entrepreneurs and restaurant groups and just folks down there that we really made sure to take the time to meet with,” he said. “They offered some great insight.”

With an anticipated Wichita opening in August, Peterson said, they are working on the physical build out of the restaurant right now. They hope to hire managers within the next month and then start hiring other staff.

“There’s a lot of things that need to happen and come together,” he continued. “But we’re really looking forward to the hiring process and getting a good team in there that we can grow with and really have a good time.”

The restaurant will be located a couple of miles away from Wichita State University, so they are exploring ways to connect, noted O’Connor, who plans to continue his Real Conversations podcast while he dives into the brunch business.

“They’ve got a brand new culinary program that’s top of the line,” he explained. “So we’re looking to get involved there and hopefully employ WSU students and just find unique ways to get involved with the community.”