Veteran steps into entrepreneurship with new restaurant coming to Warner Robins
A U.S. Air Force veteran who retired from active military duty at Robins Air Force Base is bringing a new breakfast, brunch and lunch concept to Middle Georgia.
Celia Henderson-St. Louis, 52, retired from Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command at Robins AFB as a senior master sergeant in 2012 after 20 years and seven months in the Air Force. She was a supply manager.
After retiring, Henderson-St. Louis took a little break before returning to Robins AFB in a civilian position as a logistics manager in foreign military sales.
Today, she’s also stepping into entrepreneurship by opening an Eggs Up Grill franchise restaurant at 770 Ga. 96, Suite 200 and 205, in the Kroger Marketplace shopping center in the Bonaire community of Warner Robins.
The restaurant is in the design phase with plans to knock out a wall between the two suites to create a 2,800-square-foot space. She expects to open Eggs Up Grill in the second quarter of 2026.
Henderson-St. Louis also is planning to open a second Eggs Up Grill in Macon after she gets the first one up and running.
The fast-growing restaurant brand is known for its traditional breakfasts such as “the grand classic” of two eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, home fries, and grits.
Eggs Up Grill is also known for its unique signature dishes, such as the crab-ocado scrambler of eggs scrambled with cheddar cheese, topped with crab cakes, fresh avocado, bacon, spinach, caramelized red onion and a creamy hollandaise sauce.
Why this U.S. Air Force veteran chose Eggs Up Grill
Henderson-St. Louis said she always knew she wanted to own her own business.
She started by buying a piece of land in Fort Valley and began exploring restaurants like Waffle House and Huddle House.
As she searched on the internet , she received an email about the Eggs Up Grill brand she suspects was generated based on search algorithms.
The sunny side up eggs logo caught her eye in her inbox, and she looked up the South Carolina-based brand with the catchphrase “serving up smiles.”
Henderson-St. Louis liked what she saw — first attracted to the restaurant’s hours of 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. that would give her more time with her family.
She has two adult children: Kendrick Henderson, 32, a news producer for CBS in Atlanta, and Zxaria St. Louis, 21, who’s pursuing her master’s degree in public administration at Albany State.
Henderson-St. Louis was also drawn to Eggs Up Grill because of the food. She traveled unannounced to the Eggs Up Grill in Morrow where she tried the shrimp and grits. The franchise owners weren’t there that day.
On a second visit to the Morrow location with her son, she met one of the owners and later talked with the other owner over the phone. She tried the crab cake dish on that visit while her son enjoyed breakfast.
Another appealing aspect of Eggs Up Grill for Henderson-St. Louis from her visits to the Morrow location was that the restaurant attracted people of all ages.
“Everybody loves breakfast,” she said.
She also liked the bright interior design.
Henderson-St. Louis started talking with company representatives and other franchise owners, and now, a year later, she’s gearing up to open her first Eggs Up Grill.
Eggs Up Grill offers strong support for its franchisees, she noted.
Also, there’s a 15% franchise fee discount for veterans — that was created after she signed up but still received — was an added bonus.
Henderson-St. Louis still owns the property in Fort Valley, but chose the Warner Robins location with its bustling shopping center because it was best suited for the Eggs Up Grill brand.
The benefit of a military background in a new venture
Henderson-St. Louis expects her military background in supervising personnel and running teams will help her own and operate Eggs Up Grill. She plans to be hands-on while also keeping her base job.
She was asked if she had any advice for other veterans who might be interested in entrepreneurship.
“If you feel like you’re ready, you probably are ready,” she said. “Just don’t overthink it.”
The new spot is less than a half mile from another breakfast, brunch and lunch spot, Another Broken Egg Cafe at 810 Ga. 96 in the Century Market Plaza. Henderson-St. Louis said she thinks the local market for such restaurants can easily support both.
About Eggs Up Grill
Founded in 1997 in Pawleys Island, South Carolina, Eggs Up Grill opened its 101st location, a franchise restaurant, earlier this month in Austin, Texas, with 85-plus more locations in the works.
Headquartered in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Eggs Up Grill started franchising in 2008 with locations today in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
Georgia locations include Albany, Alpharetta, Austell, Canton, Dallas, Evans, McDonough, Milton, Morrow, Rome, Roswell, Savannah, and Statesboro.
This story was originally published November 11, 2025 at 6:00 AM.