James Breakfast A Famous Spot in Wrentham

James and Coryn Arsenault originally opened their first restaurant in Wrentham in 1999, and after a brief hiatus they returned to what they love.

“We were actually James Roadside Café from 1999 to 2007,” Coryn said. "We closed for five years, tried to find “normal jobs,” quote unquote, but in the five years, we were gone we realized there’s nothing better than working for yourself.”

Coryn said she and her husband wanted to have jobs that allowed them to start and raise their growing family at the time of the original closing. She said the hours were too long, 16-18 hours a day, and they wanted to make sure they had time for their children.

“It wasn’t the right environment to raise a family in,” she said. “We got out of it, but we didn’t like it.”

So they opened a restaurant with much better hours, serving only breakfast and lunch at James Breakfast and More.

She said she worked as an office manager for a while and James worked in corporate settings for the Cheesecake Factory and CBS Scene, but when their old location opened up they couldn’t resist.

“We were back in November 2011 and I still have people walk in and say ‘Oh my God, you’re back it’s like the Twilight Zone!” she said.

Coryn said she and James both started as table busters in the restaurant business and really found their calling in the industry.

“We met in 1995, he was a chef and I was a waitress,” she said.

She said she worked in the Caravan and the Sylvan Street Grille in Franklin. She said she and James have been working and living in the Wrentham, Norfolk, Franklin and Plainville areas respectively all their lives.

“I really like the towns,” she said. “We both grew up here. It’s just a small sense of community.”

She added this allows her and James to really connect with everyone who comes in.

“The support when we reopened was just amazing,” she said. “We know about 70 percent of our customers by name or face. Some people we have dine with us five times a week. Our regulars are really like our extended family.”

She said they even got some national exposure because of Scott Brown during the last election.

“That Scott Brown commercial last year,” she said, “’you deserve another cup!’ That was me.”

Coryn said it really is a family business, as she, James and her mother there as well.

She added last year they were also featured on the "Phantom Gourmet."

Coryn said they donate to local charities and organizations in town, including the Wrentham Police, youth sports, Plainville, Wrentham, Norfolk and Franklin Schools.

James Breakfast and More is located on 850 Franklin St. in Wrentham and is open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. everyday, but Tuesday.