Old Skool Cafe
Old Skool Cafe is a San Francisco-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a 1920s-style jazz supper club that provides paid job training, case management, and externship placements for at-risk, formerly incarcerated, and foster care youth ages 16-22, funded through dining, private events, catering, and grants.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Old Skool Cafe does
Old Skool Cafe is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social enterprise founded in 2005 by Teresa Goines, operating a 1920s-style speakeasy jazz supper club at 1429 Mendell St in San Francisco's Bayview District. The organization runs a dual-mandate model: a full-service restaurant serving elevated international soul food Wednesday through Saturday evenings (5:00 PM – 9:00 PM) with nightly live jazz (5:45 PM – 9:00 PM), combined with a structured youth workforce development program for at-risk, formerly incarcerated, and foster care youth ages 16-22. The youth training program operates in three phases: a 200-hour paid 101 Restaurant & Life Skills curriculum, an Apprentice-Employee phase, and a Leadership & Externship phase with placement partners including Bon Appetit, Chase Center, and Michael Mina, supported by two years of case management.
The business model combines earned revenue from restaurant dining, private event buyouts and offsite catering (groups of 12-70 guests), and to-go orders, with a diversified donation and grant pipeline from foundations (San Francisco Foundation, Bothin Foundation), city government (DCYF), corporate sponsors (Airbnb, Salesforce, Dolby Digital), and individual giving. The technology footprint is intentionally minimal, limited to a Squarespace-hosted website, an online reservation system, a Givebutter donation platform, and Google Forms for youth intake. There is no proprietary technology, software product, or digital platform; the organization's intellectual capital sits in its programmatic curriculum, its 20-year community relationships in the Bayview, and founder Teresa Goines' mission credibility (CNN Hero 2013, FBI Director's Community Leadership Award 2009, Jefferson Award 2008).
The go-to-market motion is community-led for youth recruitment (through local nonprofits, schools, and community groups) and event-driven for revenue (private dining, catering, and live entertainment as both income and a showcase for youth talent). The organization is led by founder/CEO Teresa Goines with a staff of 11-50, and has operated continuously for over 20 years. In January 2025 it received the largest single grant ($350,000) in Chick-fil-A's True Inspiration Awards program.
Old Skool Cafe firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Old Skool Cafe
- Legal name
- Old Skool Cafe
- Website
- https://oldskoolcafe.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Old Skool Cafe is a San Francisco-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a 1920s-style jazz supper club that provides paid job training, case management, and externship placements for at-risk, formerly incarcerated, and foster care youth ages 16-22, funded through dining, private events, catering, and grants.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Old Skool Cafe industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Social Enterprise Restaurant & Youth Training Services
- NAICS
- Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Caterers (722320)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Casual Dining Restaurants (THAFACAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Karaoke Bars & Entertainment Bars (THAFAEAH)
Keywords
Where Old Skool Cafe is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Old Skool Cafe business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Restaurant dining sales: Revenue from dinner service sales at the 1920s-style speakeasy jazz restaurant. The restaurant serves elevated international soul food and operates Wednesday through Saturday evenings.
- Private events and catering: Revenue from private dining room bookings, buyouts, and offsite catering services. The venue accommodates groups of 12-70 guests and offers customizable menus for events.
- Donations and grants: Tax-deductible donations from individuals and grants from foundations and corporate sponsors. Registered as 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with Tax ID 20-3913900.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Corkage fee for outside wine |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | To-go orders |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Old Skool Cafe product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Old Skool Cafe is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social enterprise operating a 1920s-style speakeasy jazz supper club in San Francisco's Bayview District that serves elevated international soul food. The restaurant functions as a training ground and employer for at-risk, formerly incarcerated, and foster care youth ages 16-22, providing a 200-hour paid job training program, apprenticeships, leadership development, and case management. Revenue from dinner service, private events, and catering funds the youth development mission.
Product overview
Old Skool Cafe is a faith-based nonprofit social enterprise operating a 1920s-style speakeasy jazz supper club in San Francisco's Bayview District. The organization functions as a dual-purpose operation: a full-service restaurant and entertainment venue (offering international soul food dining, nightly live jazz, and private event/catering services), combined with a comprehensive youth development program that trains and employs at-risk, formerly incarcerated, and foster care youth ages 16-22. The restaurant, jazz, and private events services serve as the operational environment for the Youth Restaurant Training Program, which progresses youth through three phases: 101 Restaurant & Life Skills Training, Apprentice-Employees, and Leadership & Externships. Additional offerings include a Youth Entertainment Program for musicians and a Donation Program for supporters.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Restaurant Dining Experience A 1920s-style speakeasy jazz supper club offering elevated international soul food, with youth-run front-of-house and kitchen operations. Open for dinner service Wednesday through Saturday from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM with nightly live jazz.
- Youth Restaurant Training Program A two-year job training and employment program for at-risk, formerly incarcerated, and foster care youth ages 16-22, structured in three phases: 101 Restaurant & Life Skills Training (200-hour paid program), Apprentice-Employees, and Leadership & Externships. Includes case management, life skills workshops, and success coaching.
- Private Dining and Event Services Private event hosting including buyouts, semi-private dining, and offsite catering. Spaces include the Main Dining Room (up to 65 seated, 70 standing), Louis Lounge (15 guests), and customizable offsite catering menus for corporate events, celebrations, and gatherings.
- Youth Entertainment Program Employment and performance program for youth musicians ages 24 and younger to perform jazz, soul, and classical music during dinner service Wednesday through Saturday evenings as part of the supper club experience.
Quantifiable outcome
- 200-hour paid training program leading to employment and two-year support
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Old Skool Cafe
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Old Skool Cafe technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Old Skool Cafe partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- City of DreamsminorNonprofit partner for sharing resources and supporting youth in San Francisco
- Young Community DevelopersminorNonprofit partner collaborating on youth support services
- New Door VenturesminorNonprofit partner providing youth employment support
- MYEEPminorNonprofit partner for youth development
- Bon AppetitminorPartner restaurant offering externship opportunities for youth graduates
- Chase CenterminorPartner venue providing externship opportunities for youth development
- Michael MinaminorCelebrity chef restaurant offering externship opportunities for youth
- AirbnbCorporate sponsor logo displayed on partnerships page
- Dolby DigitalCorporate sponsor logo displayed on partnerships page
- Renaissance CenterCorporate sponsor logo displayed on partnerships page
- SalesforceCorporate sponsor logo displayed on partnerships page
- Dayspring TechnologiesCorporate sponsor logo displayed on partnerships page
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Old Skool Cafe competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Delancey Street Foundation: San Francisco-based social enterprise that operates restaurants and other businesses as vocational training environments for formerly incarcerated and at-risk individuals — closely mirrors Old Skool Cafe's training-restaurant model in the same city.
- Café Reconcile: New Orleans nonprofit restaurant that provides at-risk youth (ages 16–22) with culinary and life-skills training combined with wraparound services — a near-direct mission and operating analog.
- D.C. Central Kitchen: National nonprofit that uses culinary training to break the cycle of hunger and recidivism for at-risk adults, with revenue from cafeteria/catering contracts — directly comparable dual-mission model.
- Homeboy Industries: Los Angeles-based nonprofit social enterprise providing job training (including foodservice) and wraparound services to formerly incarcerated and at-risk youth — operates multiple businesses as training venues.
- Greyston Bakery: Yonkers, NY-based open-hire social enterprise bakery that employs individuals facing barriers to employment (including those with criminal records) — comparable dual-mission commercial/training structure, though in manufacturing rather than restaurants.
- New Door Ventures: San Francisco Bay Area nonprofit providing job training and employment for at-risk youth, including a social-enterprise food truck — already a listed partner of Old Skool Cafe and operates a directly comparable youth-employment model.
- Project Renewal: New York nonprofit that runs culinary-training programs (e.g., the Cook It Forward kitchen) for formerly homeless and incarcerated individuals, with both training and food-service revenue components.
- Emmaus: National nonprofit social enterprise with multiple locations running thrift stores and food-based businesses to provide employment and housing for formerly homeless individuals — comparable training-via-enterprise model.
Others
- Restaurant Opportunities Centers United: National nonprofit focused on restaurant-industry workforce development, wages, and training pathways for disadvantaged workers — thematically adjacent to OSC's youth-training mission rather than a direct operator.
- Heart of Dinner: NYC-based nonprofit that combines Asian-American cuisine and youth volunteer engagement to deliver meals to Asian seniors — a small nonprofit food operator with an explicit mission-driven, youth-engaged model.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Old Skool Cafe social profiles
Digital presenceOld Skool Cafe compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Old Skool Cafe financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Old Skool Cafe leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Old Skool Cafe funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Old Skool Cafe M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Old Skool Cafe
What does Old Skool Cafe do?
Old Skool Cafe is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social enterprise operating a 1920s-style speakeasy jazz supper club in San Francisco's Bayview District that serves elevated international soul food. The restaurant functions as a training ground and employer for at-risk, formerly incarcerated, and foster care youth ages 16-22, providing a 200-hour paid job training program, apprenticeships, leadership development, and case management. Revenue from dinner service, private events, and catering funds the youth development mission.
Is Old Skool Cafe a public or private company?
Old Skool Cafe is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Old Skool Cafe founded?
Old Skool Cafe was founded in 2005. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Old Skool Cafe based?
Old Skool Cafe is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Old Skool Cafe make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Restaurant dining sales are the primary driver. The others are private events and catering and donations and grants.
Who are Old Skool Cafe's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Delancey Street Foundation, Café Reconcile, D.C. Central Kitchen, Homeboy Industries, Greyston Bakery, New Door Ventures, Project Renewal and Emmaus. Others are Restaurant Opportunities Centers United and Heart of Dinner.
Does Old Skool Cafe have an API?
No public API is recorded for Old Skool Cafe.
What industry is Old Skool Cafe in?
Old Skool Cafe's product category is Social Enterprise Restaurant & Youth Training Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFACAB, Casual Dining Restaurants, with a secondary code of THAFAEAH, Karaoke Bars & Entertainment Bars. Its NAICS code is 722511 and its SIC code is 5810.