Salt of the Earth

What Salt of the Earth does

Salt of the Earth is an independent, single-location restaurant operating at 114 East Main Street in Fennville, Michigan, serving a scratch-made Midwest American rustic menu across small plates, mains, sides, wood-fired pizzas, a kids menu, and desserts. The kitchen's technical anchor is a wood-fired oven used for pizzas and select items, with the broader cuisine built on fresh, seasonal, sustainable ingredients. The beverage program is a notable craft component — specialty cocktails feature Michigan-distilled spirits and house-made elements (house-made strawberry jam, maple-wood smoked preparations), and the wine list includes multiple Fennville AVA producers alongside international selections spanning sparkling, white, red, rosé, and fortified categories, plus a curated beer and cider list.

The restaurant operates dinner-only, five evenings per week (Wednesday through Sunday), and accepts reservations through OpenTable. There is no takeout, delivery, or online ordering channel; the only digital sales touchpoint is online gift cards distributed via the QuickGifts platform. The business supplements dine-in revenue with private event hosting (rehearsal dinners, holiday celebrations, corporate and family gatherings) and live music programming. The company is privately held with no disclosed ownership, capitalization, or investor information; primary contact routes through a general manager email and phone line. It employs 96 people and serves local and regional diners from Fennville and surrounding Southwest Michigan, with seasonal exposure to summer tourism driven in part by its participation in the City of Fennville Downtown Development Authority's City Music Hall concert series at the City Square Park Amphitheater.

Name

Salt of the Earth

Legal name

Salt of the Earth

Website

https://saltoftheearthfennville.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Salt of the Earth is an independent, single-location Midwest American rustic restaurant in Fennville, Michigan, serving scratch-made seasonal cuisine and wood-fired pizza to local and regional diners, supplemented by craft cocktails, live music, and private event hosting.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Full-Service Restaurant

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511)

akta.pro primary industry

Farm-to-Table & Contemporary American Restaurants (THAFACAF)

Keywords

• Rustic American restaurant
• Wood-fired pizza
• Farm-to-table dining
• Craft cocktail bar
• Private event hosting

Headquarters

HQ city

Fennville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Food and Beverage Sales: On-premise dining revenue from food menu items (small plates $4-$16, mains $24-$60, pizzas $21-$25, kids menu $8-$11, desserts $5-$12) and beverage offerings including cocktails ($10-$17), wine by the bottle ($39-$135), beer ($4.50-$7.50), and non-alcoholic beverages ($3-$9).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Salt of the Earth is a single-location, full-service restaurant in Fennville, Michigan that serves an à la carte menu of scratch-made Midwest American rustic cuisine using fresh, seasonal, and sustainable ingredients. Its offerings center on a wood-fired pizza program, seasonal small plates and mains, an extensive craft beverage program (specialty cocktails, Michigan wines, beer, cider), live music programming, and private event hosting in the dining room.

Product overview

Salt of the Earth is a single-location Midwest American rustic restaurant offering a unified dining experience centered on scratch-made cuisine using fresh, seasonal, sustainable ingredients. The core offering consists of an à la carte food menu and beverage program (cocktails, wine, beer, non-alcoholic drinks), supplemented by live music events and private event hosting services. Gift cards provide an ancillary revenue stream. The restaurant does not operate on a platform-plus-modules architecture; it is a single unified dining establishment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food Menu
• Beverage Menu
• Gift Cards
• Private Events Hosting

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• City of Fennville Downtown Development AuthorityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 July 2026The City of Fennville DDA sponsors free community concerts at City Square Park Amphitheater every Thursday in July and August. Salt of the Earth is one of three licensed establishments in the Social District where concert attendees can purchase food and beverages. The partnership provides live music programming that complements the restaurant's dining experience.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Blue Dahlia Bistro: Benton Harbor-area independent bistro featuring locally-sourced seasonal menus and craft cocktails. Comparable farm-to-table and beverage philosophy in Southwest Michigan.
• Trattoria Stella: Traverse City Northern Michigan farm-to-table restaurant offering seasonal menus with local sourcing. Comparable concept in a Michigan destination tourism market.
• ROOT Restaurant: ROOT is a farm-to-table restaurant operating in the same Fennville Social District as Salt of the Earth. Both leverage local sourcing and the same tourism corridor, making it the most direct local peer and a marketplace comp.
• Phil's Bar & Grille: Grand Haven, Michigan independent restaurant with a crafted American menu and beverage program. Comparable independent, single-location operator in the West Michigan lakeshore market.
• The Southerner: Saugatuck, Michigan farm-to-table restaurant serving contemporary American cuisine sourced from local farms. Highly comparable concept, geography, and price point.
• Food Dance Café: Kalamazoo-based scratch-cooking restaurant with a strong local sourcing program and seasonal menu. Comparable farm-to-table philosophy and Midwest American cuisine.

Regional players

• El Jaripeo Authentic Mexican Restaurant: One of the three licensed establishments in the Fennville Social District alongside Salt of the Earth. Direct local geography competitor vying for the same concert-driven foot traffic.

Others

• OpenTable: Reservation platform on which Salt of the Earth relies for bookings. Enabling platform/ecosystem partner rather than a competitor.
• QuickGifts: Online gift card platform that powers Salt of the Earth's digital gift card sales. Distribution infrastructure partner.

Broad incumbents

• Bell's Eccentric Café: Established Kalamazoo restaurant tied to Bell's Brewery with live music programming and craft beer focus. Larger, broader-appeal incumbent that overlaps on the live music plus craft beverage restaurant concept.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/salt-of-the-earth

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Salt of the Earth