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Southeast Fort Collins brunch spot is the chain’s first location west of Mississippi.

Call it serendipity. Call it fate.

Call it being in the right place at the right time.

Whatever it was, you can now call it Famous Toastery, the newest breakfast spot in Fort Collins.

Franchisee David Glista hosted a soft opening Thursday for the first Famous Toastery west of the Mississippi River. The store officially opens at 6:30 a.m. Friday at Harmony Commons, 3541 E. Harmony Road.

Glista’s story is almost too good to be true.

The New Hampshire resident and his wife had fallen in love with Fort Collins’ beer and bike culture while visiting their daughter, a student at Colorado State University, and decided to move here even though they had no jobs waiting for them.

When moving, they took the southern route from New Hampshire to visit their son in Washington, D.C., and meet friends farther south.

While waiting at dinner in North Carolina, they struck up a conversation with another couple, who were Famous Toastery franchisees.

The Glistas continued to talk about the possibilities en route to Colorado, and pulled over in Little Rock, Arkansas, to call Famous Toastery Founder Robert Maynard.

They talked for more than an hour, Glista said.

The rest is history.

Glista signed a franchise agreement in December, signed his lease at Harmony Commons a month later and spent 10 weeks learning the ropes at other restaurants in the chain.

Maynard said in an interview he hesitated expanding the East Coast chain as far as Colorado.

“Most of our stores are within a five-hour drive,” he said. “You can’t just get in your car and drive to Colorado. It’s scary.”

As with anything in life, however, Maynard said his business is people driven. “You have your goals and blueprint of what you want to do but when you see people who are exceptional, you make the exception. David is an exceptionally talented gentleman. He will be an exceptional operator.”

The store is open daily from 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. It offers traditional breakfast fare including omelettes, pancakes and french toast as well as sandwiches, wraps and burgers. It also has a full liquor license with beer, wine and cocktails including peach bellinis and mimosas.

Glista, who purchased the franchisee rights for Northern Colorado, hopes to have another restaurant opened by the end of next year.