20 People to Watch - Jen Hidinger

Co-founder of Staplehouse and the Giving Kitchen is helping hospitality workers in need

After seven years of dreaming, planning, and overcoming immense adversity, Staplehouse finally made its debut last fall. It’s far from the traditional establishment co-founder and business manager Jen Hidinger imagined when she and her late husband Ryan first hatched the idea in 2009. What began as a supper club aspiring to be a full-fledged restaurant has become much more: a local business that not only serves great food but also helps provide much-needed crisis support for Atlanta’s food community.

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At Staplehouse, Hidinger and her team — including partners Ryan Smith and Kara Hidinger — have rolled out an extraordinary philanthropic business model. In technical terms, the restaurant is a for-profit subsidiary of the charitable organization the Giving Kitchen (TGK), for which Hidinger also serves as spokesperson and which has provided more than half a million dollars in emergency financial aid to restaurant employees in need. One hundred percent of Staplehouse’s profits after taxes are put in TGK’s bank and doled out to food industry workers facing hardships.

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“We have been able to help those servers who are hit by a car and are in the hospital for weeks, or the dishwasher who has a major flood at home and now needs to pack up everything and move to a new apartment, or the bartender who severs a tendon from breaking a piece of glassware in their hand and is again out of work,” Hidinger says.

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Plans for Staplehouse were underway when Ryan was diagnosed with stage IV gallbladder cancer and given just months to live. The Hidingers’ friends and family launched a fundraising event to offset the cost of Ryan’s medical expenses called Team Hidi, which drew in $275,000 in a single night. That’s when the Hidingers decided they had to pay it forward. TGK was born, and the Staplehouse vision was transformed.

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Ryan passed away in January 2014. Staplehouse and his legacy moved forward, thanks to the contributions of family and community. Hidinger’s brother-in-law Ryan Smith, former executive chef at Empire State South, helms the kitchen. Smith’s wife Kara Hidinger took on the role of general business manager. The team spent months battling red tape and city commissions to get building permits, a certificate of occupancy, and a liquor license. Staplehouse opened its doors in October 2015.

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Apart from its altruistic mission, Staplehouse is an impressive addition to Atlanta’s casual fine dining scene. The hip Old Fourth Ward space flaunts high ceilings, brick walls, a sleek bar, and a cozy patio with communal seating. Diners can opt for a five-course, prix fixe, reservation-only tasting menu that changes every two weeks, or they can walk in and order from the a la carte snacking menu. Staplehouse is the first restaurant in the city to use the Tock ticketing system, which allows users to purchase their seats much like registering for an event, and it’s pushing Atlanta’s foodies to try a new approach. So far, the results have been positive.

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“Easily 90 percent of our guests are hugging or high-fiving our service staff or Kara and I when they’re walking out,” Hidinger says. “It’s an incredible feeling.”

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The biggest challenge for her team, Hidinger says, will be reminding people that Staplehouse and TGK are available and in need of support year-round, not just during fundraisers and special events. Raising awareness and getting more customers in the door is the next step to expanding crisis relief efforts.

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Since its inception, TGK has awarded emergency assistance to more than 300 workers — and with Staplehouse now in the mix as a sustainable revenue source, the organization stands to provide even more.

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“I can’t imagine the day that we have to turn anybody away,” Hidinger says. “We haven’t had to turn anybody away. And that can’t happen.”