Kent brunch spot Over Easy is consistently bustling with activity, with locals, students and visitors joining a waitlist to get everything from a pancake bigger than your plate to the milkshake of the moment.

Streetsboro native Shannon Zemba first opened Over Easy in its Erie Street location in May of 2019. With the business expanding and the lease up, she moved closer to the river in downtown Kent on Dec. 28, 2021.

Shannon has years of experience, starting with her Nana’s introduction to cooking. She then worked for McCormick’s, a resort and more before returning to Ohio in 2010. She worked at and managed other restaurants in Kent before opening Over Easy.

Rayanne Zemba, manager and daughter of Shannon, explained they relocated for “expanding reasons, outgrowing the old location at Erie Street.”

The Erie Street location sits empty on the edge of Acorn Alley, with a flyer taped to the door announcing the updated location. Rayanne said she is unsure what will come of the building.

The restaurant is now Over Easy at the Depot, located on Franklin Avenue in a historic building, complete with a new sign atop the wooden door of the former train station. The new location brings more changes with it, including a bar and much more space.

“We expanded the lunch menu,” said Rayanne, explaining the updates to the menu. They also hired more servers as they “needed to accommodate for more space.”

The family wants to make Over Easy more than a brunch restaurant, staying open past their current 2:30 p.m. closing time and including a dinner menu.

“We’re hoping to get our liquor license soon,” Rayanne said.

A sign hangs over the bar ready to be labeled with the day’s brews, as the restaurant begins to expand their offerings. Inside, the Depot still reflects the style of Treno Ristorante, the previous tenants.

“The building is owned by the historical society, so we’re not actually allowed to do anything to it,” Rayanne said. They plan to add more decorations to imbue the personality of Over Easy’s Acorn Alley location into the Depot.

A visit to the location shows this personality, as diners in puffy winter coats stand in line by new signs on aged brick branded with the eponymous egg logo. Customers drinking Scribbles coffee from the one of a kind mugs sit at a collection of booths and high top tables, overlooking a snowy view of train tracks and Franklin Mills Riveredge Park.

Sophie Young is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].