By William Jacko
Special to The Laker/Lutz News
Breakfast can be the most important meal of the day, so why not start it with something tasty and healthy at Keke’s Breakfast Café, in the Willow Bend Towne Center in Lutz.
Owners Stephen Poletta and Scott Crawford pride themselves on the freshness of Keke’s food.
“We cut our potatoes, hand-crack our eggs, and never use liquid egg mix,” said Poletta. “If you order an omelet, you’re getting three cracked eggs fresh-to-order, because made fresh to order is very important to me.”
Just about everything on Keke’s menu begins with something fresh.
“Our strawberries, grapes, bananas—everything is fresh. We whisk our pancake and waffle batter. We grind our coffee beans. Everything’s made in-house,” adds Poletta.
This includes Keke’s popular Florida pancakes and waffles, which are topped with fresh strawberries, blueberries and bananas — not frozen fruit or preserves.
“Everybody likes our Florida pancakes and waffles,” Poletta said. “But, our cheese steak omelets and blueberry- or raspberry-stuffed French toast are to die for. All of our omelets, and the regular French toast, are fabulous, too.”
While breakfast is number one at Keke’s, the restaurant also boasts an extensive lunch menu, including its popular turkey and ham club, tuna fish sandwich and cheese steak panini.
“It just makes me feel good to see the smiles, to see our regulars come back two or three times a week for breakfast and lunch,” said Poletta. “We must be doing something right to have so many happy customers.”
Keke’s large portions, fresh food and unique recipes create picturesque dishes, which often inspire guests to send photos of their meals to envious friends and family.
“We love that our guests take pictures of their food — that’s something I’ve never seen in my 20 years in the restaurant business,” said Poletta. “As soon as we put the food down, people take pictures of their meal, before diving in.”
At Keke’s, employees emphasize cleanliness, fast service and attention to detail. Its spacious dining room accommodates a large volume of people, making wait times short and fast. The restaurant also offers takeout and catering.
Keke’s is open daily from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., an ideal work schedule for parents and students who have their evenings to study or spend with their families.
“I’m blessed to have such an excellent staff — employees who truly care about their guests and the quality of our food. It’s this warm hospitality, our generous portions and the great care that goes into making our food, that create our success.”
813-345-8495 • kekes.com
22952 SR 54, Lutz (At Collier Parkway)
7:00am to 2:30pm daily
Published August 7, 2019
