How a Former McDonald's Director and Military Veteran, Cliff Bowling Chose Sunny Street Café As The Family Friendly Franchise Opportunity to Fit Their Lifestyle

Cliff Bowling, franchise owner at the emerging breakfast and lunch concept Sunny Street Café,  has had an extensive professional career both inside and outside of the restaurant industry. After retiring from working on aircraft maintenance in the U.S. military, he spent nearly 30 years as the Director of Operations for a McDonald’s franchise in Texas.

However, after working in a fast-paced, non-stop atmosphere like McDonald’s for so long, Bowling started thinking of an exit strategy — but he wasn’t quite done with the restaurant industry just yet. He knew he wanted his next step to take him somewhere with a slower pace that didn’t require as many hours, and allowed him to become his own boss. With that in mind, he started looking at full-service restaurants, and he soon became interested in the breakfast and lunch categories in particular.

By chance one day, Bowling found himself in the Fort Worth area in a breakfast and lunch franchise called Rise & Dine, which is now known as Sunny Street Café. During his time in the restaurant, he fell in love with the food and atmosphere, and quickly realized he wanted to invest in the concept.

“I loved the atmosphere, and I noticed the wait staff was actually having meaningful conversations with the patrons. It was very pleasant to see, and the food was great. So, I reached out to the corporate team,” Bowling said.

He made sure to thoroughly research the concept before investing, and he says what truly sealed the deal was the brand’s hours of operation. Sunny Street Café is open from 6:30 am to 2:30 pm, meaning he could get his business done in the morning and still have time to spend with his family in the evening, which is exactly what he was looking for.

Not long after his initial experience, Cliff opened his very own Sunny Street Café in Weatherford, Texas in 2012, and then in 2018, he opened a second location in Willow Park. He was one of the earlier franchisees to sign on with the brand, which as of March 2023, has grown into a franchise network with more than 20 locations under its belt.

Since his initial launch more than 10 years ago, Bowling decided he didn’t want to run the operation alone, and he brought his two sons, Daniel and Patrick, into the fold. Both of his sons, like their father, also served in the military. They now serve as co-owners of the two restaurants, and Cliff says they handle most of the day-to-day operations between the two locations, which has become a passion of theirs.

“We have repeat customers that come in every single day who know us and take time to chat with us. They’re very comfortable when they come in,” Daniel Bowling said. “Sure, there are challenges, but that connection feels so rewarding.”

Cliff spends most of his time handling the financial and analytical parts of the job, and he’s not planning on slowing down anytime soon. Looking to the future, Cliff says he and his boys have talked about potentially opening more locations, but they haven’t made any final decisions as of yet.

“We’re still mulling it over. We never dreamed of being 15-20 store operators because we like operating as a family,” he said. “But who knows? I’ve got grandkids that could possibly come work for us, so we may open two or more locations.”

The initial investment required to open a Sunny Street Café franchise ranges from $464,545-$1,307,514 including a $35,000 franchise fee. For more information, visit: https://www.sunnystreetcafe.com/initial-investment/.