Emmer & Rye
Emmer & Rye is an Austin farm-to-table fine dining restaurant founded in 2015 by Chef Kevin Fink, serving daily-changing seasonal menus with in-house grain milling, whole-animal butchery, and fermentation. It holds Michelin Green Star and Bib Gourmand recognition.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersAustin, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Emmer & Rye does
Emmer & Rye is a single-location farm-to-table restaurant in Austin, Texas, founded in 2015 by Chef Kevin Fink. The concept is built around a daily-changing menu driven by seasonal availability from local farmers, ranchers, and foragers. Its core technical capabilities are operational rather than digital: in-house heirloom grain milling (including emmer wheat for house-made pastas, breads, and desserts), whole animal butchery, and an extensive fermentation program that captures peak-season flavors for off-season menu development. The restaurant operates as a carbon neutral establishment through a partnership with Zero FoodPrint, a positioning that has supported consecutive Michelin Green Star recognition in 2024 and 2025.
The business model is direct-to-consumer fine dining, with dinner service Tuesday through Sunday at the 51 Rainey Street location, reservations routed through OpenTable, walk-ins welcome, and email booking for large parties (7+) with custom set menus. Revenue streams include nightly dinner service, an award-winning beverage program (Wine Spectator Award of Excellence 2024, 2025, 2026), the bi-weekly Breaking Bread collaborative chef dinner series, private events and catering for parties up to 14 (managed via Tripleseat), and gift card sales through Toast Tab. The target customer is the fine dining enthusiast in Austin seeking sustainable, locally-sourced, chef-driven cuisine. Brand authority is reinforced by a 2020 James Beard Best Chef Texas finalist designation for Kevin Fink, a 2016 Food & Wine Best New Chef honor, and national press coverage in Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, The New York Times, and Forbes. The company appears to operate as an independent private restaurant group with references to 'sister restaurants' under Emmer Hospitality, though no formal ownership, funding, or subsidiary structure is disclosed.
Emmer & Rye firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Emmer & Rye
- Legal name
- Emmer & Rye
- Website
- https://emmerandrye.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Emmer & Rye is an Austin farm-to-table fine dining restaurant founded in 2015 by Chef Kevin Fink, serving daily-changing seasonal menus with in-house grain milling, whole-animal butchery, and fermentation. It holds Michelin Green Star and Bib Gourmand recognition.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Emmer & Rye industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Fine Dining Restaurants
- NAICS
- Caterers (72232), Food Service Contractors (722310)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Farm-to-Table & Contemporary American Restaurants (THAFACAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Full-Service Catering (Off-Premise) (HSACAGAA)
Keywords
Where Emmer & Rye is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Austin
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Emmer & Rye business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Dinner Service: Fine dining dinner service with seasonally changing menu. Operates Tuesday-Sunday, 5:30pm-10:00pm (Sun-Thurs), 5:30pm-11:00pm (Fri-Sat). Closed Mondays.
- Beverage Program: Extensive cocktail and wine program with award-winning wine list recognized by Wine Spectator. Beverage menus change daily.
- Breaking Bread Events: Collaborative dinner events held every other week featuring guest chefs from Austin and beyond. One-night exclusive dining experiences with collaborative dishes and drinks.
- Private Events & Catering: Private dining room options, catering, and full-service offsite event options. Event packet available for planning.
- Gift Cards: E-gift cards and physical gift cards available for purchase.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Emmer & Rye product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Emmer & Rye is a single-location farm-to-table restaurant in Austin, Texas that serves a daily-changing seasonal dinner menu built around local farmers, ranchers, and foragers. Its culinary identity is anchored in in-house heirloom grain milling (notably emmer wheat), whole animal butchery, and an extensive fermentation program. The restaurant also operates a Breaking Bread collaborative chef dinner series, hosts private events and catering, sells gift cards, and maintains an award-winning cocktail and wine program.
Product overview
Emmer & Rye is a single-location farm-to-table restaurant offering a daily-changing seasonal menu focused on heirloom grains, in-house milling, whole animal butchery, and fermentation. The restaurant operates as a unified dining concept with several complementary sub-products: Breaking Bread (collaborative guest chef dinners), Private Events (catering and event hosting), Gift Cards (e-gift cards via Toast Tab), and an Award-Winning Beverage Program (cocktails and wine). The restaurant uses OpenTable for reservations, Toast Tab for gift card sales, and Tripleseat for private event bookings.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Emmer & Rye Restaurant
Companies that use Emmer & Rye
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Emmer & Rye technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature3 records
Emmer & Rye partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Zero FoodPrintcoreCarbon neutrality partnership. Emmer & Rye works with Zero FoodPrint to offset carbon emissions, achieving carbon neutral restaurant status. This partnership supports the restaurant's sustainability mission and Michelin Green Star recognition.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Emmer & Rye competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Foreign & Domestic: Austin farm-to-table restaurant with house charcuterie, whole-animal butchery, and a daily-changing seasonal menu closely paralleling Emmer & Rye's culinary approach.
- Suerte: Award-winning Austin fine dining concept (James Beard recognition) serving chef-driven seasonal cuisine with an emphasis on local sourcing and house-made components.
- Barley Swine: Chef Bryce Gilmore's tasting-menu Austin restaurant emphasizing seasonal Texas ingredients and creative culinary technique in the same fine-dining category.
- Olamaie: Austin farm-to-table fine dining restaurant also recognized in Michelin Guide with Southern-influenced seasonal cuisine and a similar high-end Austin positioning.
- Dai Due: Austin whole-animal butchery-focused restaurant and butcher shop championing Texas-sourced heritage ingredients with strong chef/owner identity.
Broad incumbents
- Husk Restaurant: Sean Brock's farm-to-table restaurant group emphasizing Southern heirloom ingredients and house preservation/fermentation — comparable for chef-driven heritage-grain and fermentation positioning.
- Chez Panisse: Pioneering farm-to-table restaurant (Alice Waters) with a daily-changing seasonal menu, local sourcing, and an industry-defining reputation — the historical reference point for Emmer & Rye's concept.
- Blue Hill at Stone Barns: Iconic farm-to-table restaurant and industry benchmark for heirloom grains, whole-animal butchery, and chef-driven seasonal menus — a leading comparable for culinary positioning and pricing power.
Emerging players
- Sqirl: Los Angeles specialty restaurant known for heirloom grain bowls, house jams/fermentation, and a chef-driven identity — comparable for grain-and-fermentation-led differentiation.
Regional players
- Uchi: Acclaimed Austin Japanese-influenced restaurant with multiple locations and James Beard recognition; competes for the same fine-dining Austin guest and supplier relationships.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Emmer & Rye social profiles
Digital presenceEmmer & Rye compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Emmer & Rye financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Emmer & Rye leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Emmer & Rye funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Emmer & Rye 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 Emmer & Rye
What does Emmer & Rye do?
Emmer & Rye is a single-location farm-to-table restaurant in Austin, Texas that serves a daily-changing seasonal dinner menu built around local farmers, ranchers, and foragers. Its culinary identity is anchored in in-house heirloom grain milling (notably emmer wheat), whole animal butchery, and an extensive fermentation program. The restaurant also operates a Breaking Bread collaborative chef dinner series, hosts private events and catering, sells gift cards, and maintains an award-winning cocktail and wine program.
Is Emmer & Rye a public or private company?
Emmer & Rye is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Emmer & Rye founded?
Emmer & Rye was founded in 2015. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Emmer & Rye based?
Emmer & Rye is headquartered in Austin, United States, in the North America region.
How does Emmer & Rye make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Dinner Service is the primary driver. The others are beverage Program, breaking Bread Events, private Events & Catering and gift Cards.
Who are Emmer & Rye's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Foreign & Domestic, Suerte, Barley Swine, Olamaie and Dai Due. Broad incumbents are Husk Restaurant, Chez Panisse and Blue Hill at Stone Barns. Sqirl is listed as an emerging player. Uchi is listed as a regional player.
Does Emmer & Rye have an API?
No public API is recorded for Emmer & Rye.
What industry is Emmer & Rye in?
Emmer & Rye's product category is Fine Dining Restaurants. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFACAF, Farm-to-Table & Contemporary American Restaurants, with a secondary code of HSACAGAA, Full-Service Catering (Off-Premise). Its NAICS code is 72232.