|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Self-described serial entrepreneur Gocha Hawkins has a special place in her heart for breakfast and brunch. “I enjoy eating breakfast and brunch at any time of the day,” says the CEO of Gocha’s Restaurant Group and founder and owner of Gocha’s Breakfast Bar.
The hot breakfast spot in Atlanta, with three locations (including one food truck), is well-known for its deliciously creative breakfast and brunch menus, as well as the loyal following in the communities it serves.
The Detroit native likens her restaurants’ role as a social hub to that of the TV sitcom “Cheers,” saying, “People come through, eat, socialize—and many come every day.” The casual dining atmosphere is punctuated with great music and even better service.
“It’s an open kitchen concept, so you get to see the chefs working, preparing your food, the servers are great…It’s a great vibe, a family-oriented culture,” describes the restauranteur.
A Delicious Breakfast Spot in Atlanta
Regulars at Gocha’s Breakfast Bar enjoy Southern-inspired breakfast and brunch classics with a creative twist, like the vegan Impossible sweet potato nachos, chocolate chip pancakes and banana foster French toast.
“I’m a pescatarian, so my number one thing to eat, of course, is our pancakes. And then I like our black bean energy bowl, which is a very good vegan option,” details the entrepreneur about the menu that provides options for different dietary needs.
If this is your first time visiting one of her breakfast spots in Atlanta, Hawkins recommends ordering “The Trio.” “It is a half shrimp and grits, half chicken and waffle, and a half French toast, which we call the ‘Krunchtastic.’ So, if you want to try a little bit of our sweet and savory items, that will be one to try! The second option would be our Cajun Creole. Sitting on a bed of grits are two pieces of crispy flounder topped with a garlic herb sauce, which I make in-house. Many of our guests add shrimp or lump crab meat,” describes Hawkins about some popular offerings.
Keeping Everything Running Smoothly
With three Gocha’s Breakfast Bar restaurants, as well as a Gocha’s Tapas Bar serving up delectable small plate offerings, all located in metro Atlanta, how involved is this businesswoman in day-to-day operations?
“I’m not an owner who walks in and just gives orders. I’ll jump in the fire wherever my team needs me,” explains Hawkins. “I love just being in the middle of the unorganized chaos. You can have all the processes and systems, but something’s going to happen in the day. It is never perfect, but you just have to be prepared for the ‘what if.’ And that’s what I like about it. I love the challenges that are thrown at us every single day…I just love fixing things and making it happen.”
The businesswoman reveals her system of keeping operations running as smoothly as possible and producing the recipes she creates for her menus this way. “I have a brand excellence manager, and her job is to train the rest of the [restaurants’] managers to execute on the vision. And then they have a team of line cooks that execute on what they have been trained. So that’s how that works.”
Running multiple restaurant operations doesn’t faze this self-described “multi-preneur.” “A ‘multi-preneur is someone who’s constantly opening and inventing, creating business moves,” explains the visionary who’s gained success in various fields, including co-starring on the WeTV reality show “Bold & Bougie.”
“Before I started on my culinary journey, I did hair for about 30 years,” shares Hawkins, who worked as a top hairstylist (with a roster of A-list celebrity clients) and operated upscale hair salons in Orlando, Miami, Detroit and Atlanta. Throughout the years, Hawkins enjoyed cooking for her friends, who savored her food and encouraged her to open a restaurant.
In Grandmother’s Kitchen
Though she has never had formal culinary training, Hawkins credits her grandmother as the inspiration for her love of cooking. “You have to cook with love, and that’s what makes it really great,” she says about a lesson learned from her grandmother’s kitchen on summer visits to Alabama during her teen years. “I believe her because when I’m not in a good mood, my food doesn’t come out exactly how I want it to come out… It makes a difference. You’ve got to be passionate about that thing!”
It’s the passion and encouragement from friends and family that motivated Hawkins to close the chapter on the beauty industry and forge a new path in the culinary field. So in 2018, three days before Christmas, the former hairstylist and budding restauranteur who now makes Atlanta her home, opened her first restaurant, Gocha’s Breakfast Bar on Cascade Road. The community overwhelmingly embraced the neighborhood establishment and the quality breakfast options it offered.
The breakfast spot in Atlanta gained a reputation for great food and impeccable service. Six years later, Gocha’s Breakfast Bar expanded to several restaurants in the city. In 2025, Hawkins plans to open a new location in the upscale Atlantic Station neighborhood, featuring a rooftop lounge merging Gocha’s Breakfast Bar with Gocha’s Tapas Bar.
But wait, this dynamic businesswoman has more up her sleeve. Her branded food products can be ordered worldwide, allowing guests to experience Gocha’s Breakfast Bar anywhere. “You can take a little bit of Gocha’s Breakfast Bar home, even if you don’t live in Atlanta,” shares Hawkins.
Pancake mixes (Lemon or Buttermilk), gourmet grits (Original, White Cheddar & Jalapeno, White Cheddar & Garlic), and her Flippant Honey Hot Sauce are currently available for purchase at the restaurants or online.
RELATED: Bomb Biscuit’s Erika Council Pays Tribute to Black Biscuit Makers in New Book
From Home Cook to Cookbook Author
Hawkin’s cookbook, “Cooking with Gocha: Easy, Flavorful Recipes for Breakfast & Brunch Lovers!” is available for pre-order and provides a full-circle moment in her culinary journey. From learning cooking basics in her grandmother’s kitchen to developing the recipes for her restaurants, Hawkins wanted to share recipes that would allow others to enjoy breakfast and brunch as much as she does.
“We want people to have a piece of Gocha’s Breakfast Bar…I wanted them to be able to do something that they could do at home. [People] always say, ‘I can’t cook at all.’ And I always tell people, ‘If you can read, you can cook.’ So I put it all in a cookbook,” she shares.
“They’re very simple recipes, mostly under 30 minutes, great ingredients, fresh products. We still want you to come and see us. But if you can’t get to us, we want you to still have a quick and delicious breakfast, brunch, or dinner right at home.”
However, the project perhaps closest to this entrepreneur’s heart is the shared kitchen currently under construction. Hawkins envisions the space as a place for aspiring culinary pros who may lack funds to develop their products and skills.
“For people cooking and selling food as a business, for most food items, you must have a commissary to do it legally. Our goal is to provide aspiring chefs and entrepreneurs access to a shared kitchen where they can put their talents to work and make money while serving the community,” says Hawkins.
Completion of the shared kitchen is anticipated in the first quarter of next year. With multiple kitchens, tasting rooms, and a bakery, Hawkins is hopeful the 8,000 square feet space will further foster the sense of community that her breakfast spots have brought to Atlanta.
For Gocha’s Breakfast Bar menu and Gocha’s Tapas Bar small bites and to purchase the cookbook and products, visit online and follow Gocha Hawkins on social media.
