Urban Cookhouse, Llc

What Urban Cookhouse, Llc does

Urban Cookhouse, LLC is a privately held fast-casual restaurant company founded in 2010 and headquartered in Columbia, operating 11 restaurant locations across Alabama (Birmingham, Hoover, Homewood, Mountain Brook/Crestline, Huntsville, Cullman, Tuscaloosa), Tennessee (Nashville), and Texas (Prosper/Dallas). The company serves sandwiches, wraps, salads, fork-and-knife plates, kids meals, sides, and beverages built around a wood-grilled protein preparation method, in-house dressings and sauces, and a 'Buy Local, Eat Urban' sourcing commitment emphasizing local farmers and fresh ingredients.

The revenue model is primarily transaction-based dine-in restaurant sales augmented by direct pickup ordering through the ToastTab platform, third-party delivery (DoorDash, UberEats at select locations), full-service catering for corporate events, weddings, and community functions (with an EZcater channel in Nashville), a food truck offering operated via uc-birmingham.com, and weekend brunch at Nashville and Dallas. The go-to-market is dual: a direct-to-consumer restaurant model (dine-in + online ordering + delivery + catering) and an asset-light franchise model actively recruiting qualified partners for unit growth in target markets meeting specific real estate and demographic criteria (2,200-3,000 sq. ft., 90,000+ 3-mile population, $65,000+ median household income). Marketing is concentrated on organic social channels (Facebook, Instagram, X) plus community-partnership and email outreach.

Underlying technology is conventional restaurant stack: ToastTab for direct ordering, standard POS, marketplace integrations for delivery and catering, and social media channels for brand engagement. There is no disclosed proprietary software, app, or AI capability. The company is founder/management-owned — Will Gillespie serves as President — with no institutional investor, parent company, M&A activity, or funding rounds disclosed in the source material.

Name

Urban Cookhouse, Llc

Legal name

Urban Cookhouse, LLC

Website

https://urbancookhouse.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Urban Cookhouse, LLC is a privately held fast-casual restaurant chain operating 11 locations across Alabama, Tennessee, and Texas, serving sandwiches, salads, wraps, and plates featuring wood-grilled proteins, house-made dressings, and locally sourced ingredients to individual diners, corporate catering clients, and event hosts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fast-Casual Restaurants

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (7225), Caterers (722320), Caterers (72232)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

All-Day Dining Restaurants (THAFACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Fast casual dining
• Wood grilled proteins
• Restaurant catering
• Online food ordering
• Local ingredient sourcing

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Dine-In Restaurant Sales: Revenue from customers dining at physical restaurant locations across 11 locations in Alabama, Texas, and Tennessee
2. Online Ordering: Direct online ordering through ToastTab platform for pickup, generating transaction-based revenue
3. Catering Services: Corporate catering and event catering services for meetings, parties, weddings, and community gatherings
4. Third-Party Delivery: Orders placed through DoorDash and UberEats delivery platforms at select locations

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Urban Cookhouse operates a fast-casual restaurant chain selling chef-crafted sandwiches, wraps, salads, fork-and-knife plates, kids meals, sides, desserts, and beverages at 11 dine-in locations across Alabama, Tennessee, and Texas. The menu is centered on wood-grilled proteins, house-made dressings and sauces, and locally-sourced ingredients under the "Buy Local, Eat Urban" philosophy. The company complements dine-in with online ordering via ToastTab, third-party delivery partnerships, full-service catering, food truck operations, and an active franchise program.

Product overview

Urban Cookhouse is a fast-casual restaurant chain operating 11 locations across Alabama, Tennessee, and Texas. The core product is sit-down and take-out restaurant dining featuring wood-grilled meats, fresh local ingredients, and house-made dressings with a commitment to the 'Buy Local, Eat Urban' philosophy. Supporting services include online ordering via Toast Tab, full catering services for events of all sizes, and food truck operations. The menu portfolio spans sandwiches (Chipotle Braised Pork, B.A.L.T., El Cubano), wraps (Cookhouse Wrap, Buffalo Chicken Wrap), salads (Local Mix, Pepper Patch, Berry Good), fork-and-knife plates (Lime Marinated Steak, Wood-Fired Shrimp Kabob), kids meals, and sides/desserts. Franchise opportunities are available for qualified partners meeting specific real estate and demographic criteria.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Urban Cookhouse Restaurant (Dine-In) Fast-casual dining restaurant offering wood-grilled meats, fresh local ingredients, house-made dressings, and an elevated menu of sandwiches, wraps, salads, and fork-and-knife meals served across 11 dine-in locations in Alabama, Tennessee, and Texas.
• Online Ordering (ToastTab) Direct online ordering system allowing customers to place orders for pickup from any of the 11 Urban Cookhouse locations via the ToastTab platform with location-specific order links.
• Catering Services Full-service catering for corporate meetings, parties, weddings, rehearsal dinners, and community gatherings with boxed lunch availability and location-specific catering contacts across all operating markets.
• Food Truck Mobile food truck service available for events and private bookings, operated out of the Birmingham market via uc-birmingham.com.
• Brunch Service Weekend brunch service offered at the Nashville and Dallas locations with specific brunch menu items available Friday through Sunday.
• Urban Cookhouse Menu Line Menu offerings spanning sandwiches (Chipotle Braised Pork, B.A.L.T., El Cubano, Grilled Pineapple Ham, Urban Cowboy, Turkey Crunch, White BBQ, Grilled Chicken, Chicken Salad), wraps (Berry Good, Cookhouse, Local Mix, Pepper Patch, Buffalo Chicken), salads (Berry Good, Local Mix, Pepper Patch, Chicken Salad & Fruit Plate), fork-and-knife plates (Lime Marinated Steak and Rice, The Down Home, Grilled Chicken Special, Wood-Fired Shrimp Kabob, Veggie Quesadilla, Three-Cheese Chicken Quesadilla, Pork Tacos), kids meals (Classic Grilled Cheese, Grilled Peanut Butter Fluff, Kids Quesadilla, Piggy Mac, Chicken Salad Sandwich, Kids Fruit Cup), sides and desserts (Orange Rolls, Broccoli Soup, Veggie Soup, Hot Cheddar Pasta, Rice Pilaf, Roasted Veggies, Brown Sugar Brownie, Half-Baked Cookie, House-made Milkshakes, Strawberry Lemonade), and grab-and-go take-home items.
• Franchise Program Franchise opportunity for qualified partners seeking to open Urban Cookhouse locations, with defined real estate criteria (2,200–3,000 sq. ft., patio seating, minimum 30' storefront) and demographic guidelines (90,000+ 3-mile population, $65,000+ median household income) in select markets.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ToastTabcoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline ordering platform partner providing digital ordering infrastructure for all Urban Cookhouse locations. Customers place pickup orders through ToastTab with location-specific ordering URLs.
• DoorDashminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party food delivery partnership enabling customers in Nashville and Crestline locations to order through DoorDash for home delivery.
• UberEatsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party food delivery partnership at Nashville location enabling customers to order through UberEats platform.
• EZcaterminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party catering platform partnership for Nashville location enabling corporate and event catering orders through EZcater marketplace.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Newk's Eatery: Fast-casual chain offering handcrafted sandwiches, salads, soups, and pizzas with dine-in, catering, and online ordering. Comparable menu mix (sandwiches, salads), scratch-preparation philosophy, and active catering business model.
• Tropical Smoothie Cafe: Franchise-driven fast-casual concept offering smoothies and made-to-order food including sandwiches, wraps, and salads. Comparable franchise-led growth model and fast-casual menu mix of wraps, sandwiches, and salads.
• McAlister's Deli: Fast-casual chain specializing in sandwiches, salads, soups, and spuds with dine-in, catering, and delivery. Highly comparable menu (sandwiches, salads, wraps) and similar franchise-driven growth model across multiple US markets.
• PDQ: Fast-casual chicken-focused restaurant chain with hand-breaded and grilled chicken sandwiches, tenders, and salads. Comparable grilled-protein fast-casual positioning and franchise-friendly unit economics.
• CAVA: Mediterranean fast-casual chain offering salads, grain bowls, and pitas with dine-in, delivery, and catering services. Comparable fast-casual service model, customizable menu, and multi-channel distribution including catering marketplace partnerships.
• Panera Bread: National fast-casual chain offering sandwiches, soups, salads, and baked goods with dine-in and catering services. Comparable menu structure (sandwiches, salads, wraps), counter-service with dine-in model, and active catering business overlap closely with Urban Cookhouse.
• First Watch: Daytime cafe chain focused on breakfast, brunch, and lunch with locally-sourced ingredients and scratch cooking. Comparable scratch-made philosophy, local sourcing messaging, and brunch/weekend service offering overlapping with Urban Cookhouse's Nashville brunch service.
• Sweetgreen: Fast-casual chain built around salads, grain bowls, and locally-sourced ingredients with a strong brand narrative around sustainability and farmer relationships. Closely aligned with Urban Cookhouse's 'Buy Local, Eat Urban' positioning and farm-to-table philosophy.
• Firehouse Subs: Fast-casual sandwich franchise chain with dine-in, online ordering, delivery, and catering. Comparable sandwich-focused fast-casual positioning, franchise-led expansion, and multi-channel distribution including catering and delivery.

Broad incumbents

• Chipotle Mexican Grill: Largest US fast-casual chain focused on grilled proteins (chicken, steak, barbacoa) with customizable menu. While cuisine differs, the grilled-protein fast-casual model and dine-in + digital ordering + catering + delivery omnichannel mix is highly comparable to Urban Cookhouse's structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/urbancookhouse
• Facebookfacebook.com/UrbanCookhouse
• Instagraminstagram.com/urbancookhouse

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 Urban Cookhouse, Llc