Em's Kitchen at Hawthorne Drugs

What Em's Kitchen at Hawthorne Drugs does

Em's Kitchen at Hawthorne Drugs is a privately held, family-owned casual dining restaurant operating from a single location inside the Hawthorne Drugs pharmacy at 975 Hawthorne Avenue, Athens, Georgia. The business serves breakfast (7:30 AM-10:30 AM) and lunch (10:30 AM-3:00 PM) Monday through Friday, offering made-to-order sandwiches, hot dogs, soups, salads, and desserts, with a 7-person staff. The concept originated as a soda fountain opened in 1990 by Andy and Debbie Ullrich; Emily, who began working there in 1998 and later married the owners' son, transformed it into Em's Kitchen in September 2010 and continues to operate it.

The restaurant operates three revenue streams: in-store dining, online ordering for pickup through the Heartland HRPOS platform, and catering for local institutions. Catering has become a significant growth driver, with recurring engagements at University of Georgia departments, Athens Technical College, Foothills Charter School, Clarke County School District, and Oconee County Schools; catering requires a minimum of 10 people, all-inclusive pricing on disposables, and 48-72 hours notice (2 weeks for weekends). Delivery is restricted exclusively to two authorized partners, Bulldawg Food and Cosmic Delivery, and a $10 fee applies to delivery catering orders. The business also offers a 20-person meeting space for small events.

The company is privately held with no disclosed funding, no parent entity, no proprietary technology, no mobile app, and no disclosed revenue. Marketing is conducted primarily through organic social channels (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X), the company's website (emskitchenathawthorne.com), and word-of-mouth. The owner reports the business is busier than ever following the pandemic and expects continued growth into year 16.

Name

Em's Kitchen at Hawthorne Drugs

Legal name

Em's Kitchen

Website

https://emskitchenathawthorne.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Em's Kitchen at Hawthorne Drugs is a family-owned casual dining restaurant inside Hawthorne Drugs pharmacy in Athens, Georgia, serving breakfast and lunch Monday-Friday, with growing catering services to local schools and universities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Dining Restaurant and Catering Services

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Caterers (722320)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

All-Day Dining Restaurants (THAFACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Full-Service Catering (Off-Premise) (HSACAGAA), Corporate/Workplace Meal Programs & Bulk Prepared Meals (CRAHAJAJ), Catering & Events Food Service (EDALADAC)

Keywords

• Casual dining restaurant
• Breakfast and lunch
• Catering services
• Online food ordering
• Meeting space rental

Headquarters

HQ city

Athens

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. In-store dining: Walk-in customers purchase breakfast and lunch items including sandwiches, hot dogs, soups, salads, and desserts. Operating hours are Monday-Friday, 7:30 AM - 3:00 PM.
2. Online ordering: Customers can order online through the Heartland POS system for pickup.
3. Catering services: Catering for local organizations, schools, and events. Includes breakfast, lunch, appetizers, and desserts. Has become a significant revenue stream, regularly catering for UGA departments, Athens Tech, Foothills Charter School, Clarke County School District, and Oconee County Schools.
4. Delivery services: Delivery through authorized partners Bulldawg Food and Cosmic Delivery only. A $10 delivery fee applies for catering orders.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Em's Kitchen operates a casual breakfast and lunch restaurant co-located inside Hawthorne Drugs pharmacy in Athens, GA, serving made-to-order sandwiches, hot dogs, soups, salads, desserts, and rotating daily specials. The business has expanded into catering for local schools, universities, and organizations, and also makes a 20-person meeting space available for small events.

Product overview

Em's Kitchen at Hawthorne Drugs is a traditional restaurant and catering business operating from within Hawthorne Drugs pharmacy. The business offers in-restaurant dining (breakfast and lunch service), an online ordering system via Heartland HRPOS, catering services for events and local institutions, and a 20-person meeting space. The core offering centers on made-to-order sandwiches, soups, salads, hot dogs, and desserts, with catering as a significant growth area over its 15+ years of operation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• In-Restaurant Dining Full-service breakfast and lunch restaurant operating Monday-Friday at 975 Hawthorne Avenue, Athens, GA, inside Hawthorne Drugs. Breakfast served 7:30am-10:30am and lunch 10:30am-3:00pm, featuring made-to-order sandwiches, hot dogs, soups, salads, desserts, and rotating daily specials.
• Online Ordering Customer-facing online ordering channel powered by Heartland HRPOS that allows customers to place digital orders for pickup at the restaurant.
• Catering Services Catering service for breakfast, lunch, appetizers, and desserts serving local schools, universities, and organizations. Requires a minimum of 10 people, with 48-72 hours notice for weekday orders and 2 weeks notice for weekend orders; all-inclusive pricing covers plates, napkins, utensils, condiments, and salt and pepper, with a $10 delivery fee for delivery orders.
• Meeting Space Rental 20-person meeting space available for casual events, small business meetings, and group functions at the Hawthorne Avenue restaurant location.

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Bulldawg FoodminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized third-party delivery service partner. The restaurant uses Bulldawg Food as one of only two authorized delivery services. All delivery orders are first-come, first-served and delivery is not guaranteed.
• Cosmic DeliveryminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized third-party delivery service partner. The restaurant uses Cosmic Delivery as one of only two authorized delivery services. The company explicitly states it does not permit its food on any other delivery platforms without permission.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Five Points Bottle Shop: Long-standing casual dining and gathering spot in Athens, GA. Comparable as a similarly scaled, locally rooted Athens restaurant competing for the same breakfast/lunch and community-event spending.
• Mama's Boy Restaurant: Athens, GA breakfast-and-lunch institution with a comparable casual menu and long-tenured community following. Directly comparable on service hours, menu type, and Athens local-customer base.
• Saucehouse BBQ: Athens-area casual restaurant with catering for events and institutions. Comparable as a local Athens competitor pursuing institutional catering as a growth lever.
• Last Resort Grill: Casual full-service Athens, GA restaurant with catering capabilities. Comparable on Athens local-customer orientation, full-service breakfast/lunch/dinner, and catering for institutions and events.
• The Grit: Athens, GA vegetarian casual dining restaurant with catering services. Comparable on Athens location, casual full-service model, and emphasis on community/loyal-customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Panera Bread: National bakery-cafe concept with soup/sandwich/salad menu and significant corporate catering. Comparable on menu type, breakfast/lunch daypart focus, and use of digital ordering infrastructure.
• First Watch: Daytime breakfast/lunch chain with limited hours (no dinner) and a catering program. Highly comparable operating-hours model and breakfast/lunch specialization that Em's Kitchen shares.
• Newk's Eatery: Casual chain serving sandwiches, soups, salads with strong catering for schools and businesses. Comparable menu, service model, and catering-led revenue diversification strategy.
• McAlister's Deli: National casual chain with sandwich/soup/salad menu and a substantial catering program. Comparable on menu overlap (sandwiches, soups, salads), limited-service model, and institutional catering focus.
• Chicken Salad Chick: Southeast-based casual dining chain with strong catering program for schools, businesses, and events. Comparable business model combining limited-service dine-in with institutional catering at scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/EmsKitchenATH
• Facebookfacebook.com/EmsKitchen
• Instagraminstagram.com/emskitchenathensga
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/em's-kitchen-at-hawthorne-drugs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Em's Kitchen at Hawthorne Drugs