Breakfast is the hottest category right now, and a restaurant specializing in that meal is opening at the Shops at Park Lane. Called Starwood Cafe, it's opening at 8060 Park Ln., in the space where the Gordon Biersch brewpub used to be before it closed in 2017.

The Gordon Biersch space has been split into two. Half is going to a mobile phone store; the restaurant will take the other half, with an opening set for spring 2020.

Breakfast has been a big deal lately, with incoming concepts such as Snooze an A.M. Eatery, Yolk, and First Watch having settled in Dallas in recent years.

Starwood Cafe is a local family-owned chain of restaurants serving breakfast and lunch. They've opened 10 locations in five years, mostly across northern and western suburbs including Aubrey, Frisco, Flower Mound, McKinney, Murphy, and North Richland Hills.

Founder Andy Rushiti grew up in the restaurant business; his family has operated a number of restaurants in Illinois.

"After hearing so many great things about the economy, I moved to Dallas in 2012," he says. "We opened our first restaurant in Frisco in the Starwood development – that's where we got the name."

The expansion evolved organically as family members joined in.

"We didn't have the intention to open multiple locations, that's just how it ended up," he says. "It's a family deal. There's my brother, my wife's brother and his wife, and my son and my daughter. We all pitch in, and now we've opened 10."

The menu is the same at all locations.

"It's American food, your basic diner, bacon and eggs is a best-seller, but we're serving better quality food across the board," he says. "It's comfort food, chicken-fried steak, simple, warm, fill up my belly food, that's really who we are."

They do specialty pancakes, crepes, waffles, some nice salads, a very nice burger, Panini sandwiches, turkey bacon club, and a reuben.

"But we sprinkle in a little modern stuff," he says. "We also serve some healthy dishes like avocado toast and steel cut oats, and we average around $12 per person, which is part of our appeal, good quality food at an affordable price."

Park Lane is the first location to open in central Dallas, Rushiti says. "My wife went there shopping and loved the location," he says. "The space became available right as we were discussing opening another location."

They're also opening a location at Hillcrest Village, a center at the corner of Arapaho and Hillcrest roads that's currently being renovated. That location will open in late spring or possibly early summer.

With the forays into Dallas proper, they're contemplating adding alcohol to the menu. "Our current locations including three in Frisco and two in McKinney, are in neighborhoods with strong family demographics and there hasn't been a big demand," he says. "But we are considering offering it at Park Lane and Hillcrest Village."

The Starwood Cafe expansion doesn't end in Dallas. In addition to Hillcrest Village and Park Lane, three more are in the works: Farmers Branch, at a new development called Mustang Station; Trophy Club; and lastly, Denton. "We're opening five in 2020," Rushiti says.