CityView Magazine

f ood RISE & SHINE A The conversation is brewing and the coffee is hot at Fayetteville’s favorite breakfast spots | By Melissa Goslin Collins t some point, the most important meal of the day became one eaten behind steering wheels and office desks, all in Styrofoam and plastic wrapping. But the breakfast bluebloods are loyal, a tribe that relishes the feel of heavy coffee mugs in cupped palms, eggs served with a side of conversation and the feeling of being up and in the world before everyone else. Here we share a few of Fayetteville’s favorite spots for breakfast and (as a bonus to you late-risers) brunch. Enjoy! At 6 a.m. on any given weekend morning, the main dining room at Haymont Grill and Steak House looks a little like a high school cafeteria, politicians at one table, retirees at another and academics nestled in booths along the wall. As coffee is poured and the smell of bacon and eggs permeates the air, the crowd morphs into one group of old – and new – friends. John Ayers has been eating breakfast at the Grill every Saturday morning for years. Over easy | Retired General Oscar Davis (left) is one of the Saturday regulars at Haymont Grill. Breakfast club | Peter Morris, John Ayers, Katherine Kalevas meet for breakfast. “It’s no organized group. We’ve just all become friends over the years,” he said. They arrive at 7 a.m. and have the table until 9, when a group of retired military, known around the Grill as “the Generals,” arrive. Conversation starts with a quick catch-up around the table and eventually veers into politics and world news swapped with diners at nearby tables. From prayer groups to business meetings, everyone seems to be solving the world’s problems over a plate of eggs. Ayers’ group sits at a large table at the back. “Most places, people wouldn’t want to sit by the kitchen, but we wouldn’t have it any other way,” he said. “We call it the owner’s table.” CityViewNC.com | 39

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