Before getting married in 2020, Sean and Anna MacCuish rarely saw each other outside a bustling kitchen or bar counter. Shifts ended at 3 a.m., leaving little quality time for the food industry veterans looking to start a family.

But the MacCuish couple always had brunch. They caught up over salty home fries and decadent scrambles, even venturing into more eccentric platters like breakfast sushi, and finished off with a tray of something sweet. And out of the worn diner booths of Charlotte, North Carolina, came the pair’s first child: the brunch spot Easy Like Sunday.

Now Baltimoreans know the popular eatery for its crafty lunches within the Village of the Cross Keys. A hot spot for the Maryland shopping center, Easy Like Sundays opened there in March 2023, promising the couple a larger space to experiment with their concept than their original restaurant, located in Charlotte.

The growth has been exciting for Sean MacCuish, who runs the kitchen and co-owns the eatery with wife Anna and her cousin Antonios Kokolis. The team plans to open their second restaurant, located in Locust Point’s McHenry Row community, in mid-June.

“We just had this feeling like Easy Like Sunday belongs here,” he said of the shopping center off Key Highway.

MacCuish never expected their all-American benedicts and burgers to take off. The pair spent years probing the quality of Charlotte breakfast hubs before settling on their own menu. He’s come to believe “almost anything” fits under the brunch umbrella, allowing chefs to take inspiration from Mexican, Italian and Asian cuisine. It’s exciting, he said, especially as the team prepares to break in a new, larger kitchen.

Easy Like Sunday is one of many small Baltimore businesses angling to stir up a customer base in Locust Point. THB Bagelry and Deli opened in McHenry Row in February and a chicken spot, CHX, is expected to follow them in the coming months. Miss Twist, a beloved ice cream truck, opened a brick and mortar in the neighborhood earlier this month, as did Kneads Bakeshop, which is operating a pop-up from the former Local Oyster space.

MacCuish said their restaurant’s entry into the neighborhood was a matter of good timing. They also considered locations in Fells Point and areas outside the city such as Timonium, Hunt Valley and Ellicott City, but struggled to find the right space for a feasible price. Spots in Bethesda also caught the couple’s interest, but for now, MacCuish is looking to keep the shop close to the family’s Charm City home.

“It’s the perfect distance from our other location,” he said, adding that the Locust Point eatery will be a “beautiful fusion” of the restaurant’s past iterations. High ceilings with chandelier lights and a flower trellis will mimic their more intimate North Baltimore spot, merging with the darker woods and richer leathers the couple leaned on for décor in North Carolina.

In the months leading up to Easy Like Sunday’s transition, MacCuish said he has been removing the televisions and reducing the expansive bar tops from Iron Rooster, which quietly closed in September after seven years, and the Greene Turtle sports bar, which held the space five years before that.

His goal is to create a space with very few distractions — no loud music or décor so intrusive that it pulls your attention fromyour plate.

Birthdays, bridal showers and graduations have been a common fixture in the Cross Keys location, MacCuish said, in part because the restaurant has learned how to strike a balance between the special occasion and the comfort of a casual lunch.

“We want people to be present,” he said, adding that outdoor dining will also be available. “When you walk into the restaurant, we want people to hear just conversations and buzz.”

Locust Point-themed menu items and more seasonal specials will also be available, though MacCuish said he was still developing some of the new offerings.

The family business hopes to expand further to the counties, he said, and show even more people the art of an intimate brunch.