In the beginning, it was the goal of the Giving Kitchen and Staplehouse family to turn Ryan Hidinger’s dream restaurant into reality and into a beacon of hope for food service workers in crisis. What happened next was beyond our wildest dreams: the Staplehouse team created one of the top dining experiences in the country while thousands of inspired restaurants across Georgia came forward to support food service workers in crisis with them. One beacon became thousands of lights.

Staplehouse and Giving Kitchen depended on each other to thrive. As both organizations matured, it became increasingly clear that each could stand on its own and that it was in the best business interest of both organizations to separate. From a compliance perspective, a nonprofit owning a for-profit business created burdensome day-to-day accounting processes and procedures, as well as an annual audit that took months of preparation and hard work. No other for-profit business of this size is required to dedicate the amount of time to an audit as Staplehouse committed each year. Beyond compliance, Giving Kitchen is planning to become a regionally influential organization, and the Staplehouse/Giving Kitchen "social entrepreneurial” model is not a viable part of those future plans. 

Who is purchasing Staplehouse?

We are delighted to announce that Steel Horse LLC, owned by Kara Hidinger and Ryan Smith, will take over full ownership of Staplehouse. Steel Horse was the management company that opened and operated Staplehouse on behalf of The Giving Kitchen Restaurant Group, Inc. and Giving Kitchen.  

How was the decision made to sell Staplehouse? 

The decision to sell Staplehouse was made after lengthy discussions during the summer of 2019 that included The Giving Kitchen Restaurant Board, Inc., Giving Kitchen Board of Directors, Giving Kitchen leadership, and Steel Horse LLC. 

The decision to sell Staplehouse is not based on the Covid-19 pandemic.

How did Giving Kitchen decide to sell Staplehouse to Steel Horse?  

After an independent business valuation and process that included some of Atlanta’s most successful restaurant groups and restaurant investors, it was clear that the interested buyers in the best position to purchase and maintain Staplehouse were Kara Hidinger and Ryan Smith. 

I thought Giving Kitchen’s primary source of funding came from Staplehouse - is this true?

In short, no. Giving Kitchen’s primary source of funding comes from the community in the form of personal donations, corporate giving, support from food service establishments and foundation gifts. Staplehouse has made contributions to Giving Kitchen, including employee contributions, diner donations, discounts, auction donations and direct financial payment. During our early years, the recognition Giving Kitchen received on behalf of Staplehouse was priceless, so it would be impossible to put a value on the local, regional and national attention GK has received because of Staplehouse’s award-winning service or truly inspirational story. Additionally, many of Giving Kitchen's most important donors and supporters began as Staplehouse patrons. 

Questions about the financial relationship between Staplehouse and Giving Kitchen? Every year Giving Kitchen has published and made public an audit of Giving Kitchen and Staplehouse finances. You can view audits here.

Will Staplehouse still support Giving Kitchen? 

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Giving Kitchen is not soliciting financial support from any restaurant in our community. This includes Staplehouse. In the future, Staplehouse will continue to support Giving Kitchen through donations, events and the Team Hidi live auction.

What will change at Staplehouse? 

Staplehouse will be wholly owned by Kara and Ryan. Management decisions will be singularly driven by two local owners and their incredible team. Expect more awesomeness.