The husband-and-wife duo behind a popular breakfast hangout

Anne and Jon Turner take a seat in the back of their decade-old restaurant, scooting up to a weathered coffee table and a comfy corner couch that some vow swallows customers whole.  

Both start to speak. 

"Bacon, egg, and cheese is the number-one seller," Jon rapid-fires. "Yeah, chicken salad for lunch," Anne volleys back. Jon doesn't let a nanosecond go by: "The crumb cake is to die for." 

Jon talks fast. Anne speaks slowly. 

They fill in each other's blanks. 

"This is interesting for Anne and me," Jon rat-a-tats. "It's my 60th, her 50th, and our 25th anniversary this year." Anne squeezes in, "So, it's a big year." Jon on cue: "So we are taking a trip and going to …" 

For 22 minutes and 22 seconds, they speak proudly of their Daniel Island business, which has lasted 10 years. 

They don't flinch at the ding of a bell, the whine of an espresso machine, or another shout for "Angela" to grab her grub and go. 

"I have to be honest," Jon said. "Anne showed me how many customers we need a day, and I didn't say it to her, but – 'You gotta be freakin' kidding me. There's no way we are going to get this.'" 

But they did. 

A prime spot on Seven Farms Drive right next to the fire station, with sparse, maybe at times, non-existent parking in the back, a parallel-parking test out front, and, across the street, curb parking that encourages a Frogger-style run against traffic just for a bagel and a sip of joe. 

Restaurant business much? 
"No," they chuckled. "And that's why it took us so long to get the smarts to research to start doing it." 

Back in the day, their location was occupied by a certified, authentic Irish pub with dark wooden booths and perfect Guinness pours. 

Then, maybe it turned into a burger bar. Then, maybe something else. 

"We've met so many people here over the years," Jon smiled. "Some who are here every freakin' day." 

Jon is from Baltimore and an unabashed Orioles fanatic. 

Anne from New Jersey. 

One gets to the store at 6:30 a.m. 

The other around nine.  

They both attest that since owning their place, they haven't taken an extended vacation together for more than four days.  

With two sons graduating from high school and college this summer, the soon-to-be empty nesters say they are finally learning the importance of allowing independence and letting go – not necessarily of their boys – but of managing their day-to-day business. 

"Anne and I, we are starting to relinquish some of that control," Jon laughed. 

Anne said the couple likes to stay under the radar and shy away from publicity, but when their restaurant turned 10, she decided to send an email or two to the local media to promote its anniversary. 

This allowed for a fair line of questioning: How did they come up with the name? 

"It was an ongoing joke growing up," the yellow-haired Anne confided. "My sister and I joked about having a bakery."  

So, when that day finally came? 

Anne said, "This is our chance; we have a restaurant. Let's call it Blondie's."