An hour for an egg: Brunch lovers justify long lines for the perfect morning meal

Boiling the perfect egg takes a mere seven to eight minutes but landing an egg dishat a trendy brunch restaurant can alsoinvolvemore than an hour's wait in line, just to get a table.

And yet so many people queue up anyway, convinced the wait is worth it.

"It's good food, you wait for good food," said Megan Beyer, standing in line outside one of Vancouver's popular brunch spots.

"We've waited a couple of hours before I've waited three hours for my favourite taco place before."

Beyer works as a hostess at a different venue and knowsthe tricks of the trade.

She and her three friends put their names down at the eatery, gofor a wander and returnfor what she estimates is another 20-minute-wait just in case the table clears up early.

"They usually actually give you a time that is longer so that you don't feel disappointed," Beyer said. "You usually say five minutes longer than it actually will be."

Passing the time

Caylie Feschuk and Adam Yeske have been waiting for an hour already, playing rhyming word games to pass the time.

"We're on vacation, we've got nothing better to do anyways," Feschuk said. "We're just bumming around for the day, walking around, so thought we'd get a good breakfast first."

Sugar-cured bacon is worth an hour of time, theyagreed.

Rina Rae, who works at the popular breakfast restaurant Jam, isn't convinced.

"The food is really good here but I wouldn't wait more than an hour for any food no matter how good it is," Rae said.

Pilar Valenzuela, who is visiting Vancouver from abroad, waited nearly an hour for her scrambled eggs and bacon, but has no regrets

"I wouldn't mind doing it again because it's really good," she said. "I can cook those things but I'm from Mexico and they have a special taste [here]."

For Felipe Bombonato, an actor appearing in the play Les Miserables, brunch is the best meal of the day.

Like many in the theatre industry, he works late nights and has rehearsals that begin in the early afternoon.

"We are all about that brunch life," Bombonato said.

With files from Jake Costello and The Early Edition.

This story is part of a series called "Get in Line" which airs on CBC's The Early Edition on Wednesdays throughout the summer.