WESTBROOK – The first day the new Egg & I opens on the Westbrook/Portland line, owner Martin Mason won’t accept payment for customers’ meals. He will, however, accept a donation.

The national restaurant chain specializing in breakfast and lunch will have a soft opening on Sunday, March 24, at 8 a.m., but only if you have reservations and an invitation to the fundraising event he’s holding for Camp Sunshine in Casco.

“Obviously, Camp Sunshine does great things all over the world, but they’re a part of the community and their doing some awesome things for children and we’re all about supporting that and becoming part of the community, as well,” said Mason.

Mason and the Egg & I marketing team have been sending out invitations via email blasts and keep a stack of them at the Scarborough location on Route 1. Mason said there is no cutoff on when to make a reservation, but breakfast will only be served from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Breakfast and brunch enthusiasts can order off the full menu, but are asked to leave only a donation on their table once they’re done with the meal. All proceeds from the day go to Camp Sunshine.

“We raised $6,100 for Project GRACE when we did it in Scarborough,” he said. “We’re hoping we can outperform that.”

Michael Smith, director of special events for Camp Sunshine, said raising $6,000 is enough to send three families to the camp.

In January, Smith was contacted by Mason with the idea of partnering to hold the breakfast fundraiser to benefit the camp, which supports children with life-threatening illnesses and their families.

“It’s brilliant because you get a good test run of the restaurant and you get to do it for a great cause. We couldn’t be happier to partner with these guys,” Smith said. “ It’s a great event and hopefully they get a great turnout for this.”

The Westbrook Egg & I will officially open on March 25. This is Mason’s second restaurant. He opened the first Egg & I in Scarborough last May, and business, he said, is booming.

Before he became a restaurant owner, Mason was an executive at Home Depot, but he spent 10 years telling his wife his dream was to open up an eatery, and that one day he was going to do it.

“It turned out to be very successful and I got to fulfill a longtime dream,” Mason said. “The success is thanks to the employees. They’ve done an awesome job offering outstanding, friendly service, and the quality of our product is above and beyond.”

The second location – once a Friendly’s restaurant – is in the Howard Johnson Plaza on Riverside Street and seats 176, not including a patio that will be open when it stops snowing. Mason said the menu will be the same, and if you’ve never been to the restaurant in Scarborough, he recommends having his favorite, the corn beef hash.

The Egg & I started in Fort Collins, Colo., in 1987, and has since grown to more than 66 restaurants in 17 states.

Mason said he has plans for future expansion.

Those hoping to get an invitation to the fundraiser benefit for Camp Sunshine can stop by the Egg & I on Route1 in Scarborough.

The Egg & I in the Howard Johnson Plaza on Riverside Street will officially open on Monday, March 25, but will host a breakfast fundraiser for Camp Sunshine on March 24. It’s located at a building that formerly housed a Friendly’s restaurant. Staff photo by Suzanne Hodgson

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