Tender Fire Kitchen
Tender Fire Kitchen is a Santa Fe-based wood-fired sourdough pizza restaurant and caterer serving health-conscious local diners and private event hosts, transitioning from five years of pop-up operations to a permanent brick-and-mortar location.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersSanta Fe, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Tender Fire Kitchen does
Tender Fire Kitchen is a health-forward wood-fired pizza restaurant in Santa Fe, New Mexico, founded by Ben in 2019 after a pizza gathering inspired by a jungle experience in Nicaragua. The company's core technology is a 48-72 hour naturally leavened sourdough fermentation process that breaks down fructans (making dough more digestible for gluten-sensitive consumers), combined with a 60-90 second cook in an 800-degree wood-fired oven; it also offers a proprietary gluten-free sourdough crust using buckwheat, brown rice, psyllium, chia, and flax. The product portfolio includes 12-inch wood-fired pizzas, fresh salads, vegan options, organic cheesecakes, frozen pizzas, and limited merchandise, all positioned around farm-to-table, locally sourced ingredients and an open-kitchen transparency ethos.
The business operates across four revenue streams: dine-in at the Restaurant at Midtown (1025 Midtown Calle Central, Thursday-Monday 5-9pm), seasonal pop-ups at local venues including El Rey Court and TumblerootSF, mobile catering for private events of 25-200 guests (weddings, rehearsal dinners, birthdays, gallery openings) via a mobile pizza oven, and frozen pizza retail. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; catering is quote-based and gift cards are sold through Toast Tab, while reservations run on Resy. After five years as a pop-up, the company opened a Midtown restaurant location in 2024 and is preparing to open a larger permanent brick-and-mortar at Aspect Media Village in November 2025.
The customer base is structurally distributed across local Santa Fe diners, private event hosts, and health-conscious consumers (vegan, gluten-free, gluten-sensitive). Marketing is community-driven through Instagram, email newsletter, and festival/event participation. The company is founder-owned, privately held, bootstrapped apart from a single disclosed $78,900 raise, has 1-10 employees, and operates exclusively in the Santa Fe market with no disclosed revenue figure.
Tender Fire Kitchen firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Tender Fire Kitchen
- Legal name
- Tender Fire Kitchen
- Website
- https://tenderfirekitchen.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Tender Fire Kitchen is a Santa Fe-based wood-fired sourdough pizza restaurant and caterer serving health-conscious local diners and private event hosts, transitioning from five years of pop-up operations to a permanent brick-and-mortar location.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Tender Fire Kitchen industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Casual Dining
- NAICS
- Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Caterers (72232), Frozen Cakes, Pies, and Other Pastries Manufacturing (311813)
- SIC
- Bakery Products (2050)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Pizza Fast Casual (THAFABAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Frozen Pizza & Flatbreads (CRADADAB)
Keywords
Where Tender Fire Kitchen is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Santa Fe
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Tender Fire Kitchen business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Restaurant Dining: In-person dining at the restaurant location in Midtown Santa Fe, open Thursday-Monday 5-9pm. Customers order from the menu featuring wood-fired pizzas (12 inch) and fresh salads.
- Private Event Catering: Mobile pizza oven brought to customer location for weddings, rehearsal dinners, birthday parties, gallery openings, and private events. Pricing tailored to location, guest count, and specific needs.
- Frozen Pizza Sales: Pre-made frozen pizzas sold at pop-up locations and potentially for at-home consumption.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels4 records
Tender Fire Kitchen product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Tender Fire Kitchen operates a wood-fired sourdough pizza restaurant in Santa Fe, New Mexico, selling 12-inch pizzas made from dough that is naturally leavened for 48-72 hours and cooked for 60-90 seconds in an 800-degree oven. The company sells pizzas through dine-in service at its Midtown Santa Fe location, seasonal pop-ups at local venues, private event catering with a mobile oven, and frozen pizzas for at-home consumption.
Product overview
Tender Fire Kitchen is a sourdough pizza restaurant operating as both a pop-up and brick-and-mortar establishment. The core offering centers on wood-fired pizzas featuring 3-day fermented sourdough dough, complemented by catering services for private events, gluten-free crust options, vegan pizza alternatives, and frozen pizza products. The restaurant is transitioning from five years of pop-up operations to a permanent Midtown Santa Fe location opening November 2025. Menu offerings include fresh salads, organic cheesecakes, and specialty desserts. The business also offers merchandise and gift cards through third-party platforms.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use Tender Fire Kitchen
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Tender Fire Kitchen technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature3 records
Tender Fire Kitchen partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Tender Fire Kitchen competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Tony's Pizza Napoletana: San Francisco wood-fired pizzeria known for multiple Neapolitan/Italian-style preparations. Comparable in operating a destination restaurant around wood-fired pizza craft.
- Pizzeria Bianco: Chris Bianco's renowned wood-fired pizza restaurant in Phoenix, Arizona. Highly comparable: founder-led, artisanal wood-fired crust, locally sourced toppings, and a waiting-list-driven cult following.
- Una Pizza Napoletana: Highly acclaimed Neapolitan-style wood-fired pizzeria founded by Anthony Mangieri. Closely comparable on dough craft, founder-led ethos, and single-minded focus on wood-fired excellence.
- Flour + Water: San Francisco restaurant group rooted in pasta and wood-fired pizza with a focus on natural fermentation and seasonal sourcing. Comparable craft approach and hospitality-forward identity.
- Hearth Restaurant: Marco Canora's New York restaurant built on wood-fired Italian cooking including pizza and naturally leavened breads. Comparable craft fermentation and Italian wood-fired heritage.
- Roberta's: Brooklyn-based wood-fired pizza restaurant built on community ethos, naturally leavened dough, and farm-to-table sourcing. Closest direct analog to Tender Fire Kitchen: similar craft dough, similar community-driven positioning, similar scale.
Broad incumbents
- &pizza: Multi-unit fast-casual pizza chain with customizable pies and an inclusive brand identity. Comparable fast-casual pizza segment and health/social-ethos positioning at scaled volume.
- Blaze Pizza: National fast-casual pizza chain known for open-flame ovens and quick assembly. Comparable fast-casual pizza category and oven-forward cookline model.
- MOD Pizza: Largest U.S. fast-casual pizza chain with a community and inclusivity brand voice. Comparable fast-casual pizza category and values-driven positioning at scale.
Emerging players
- Tartine Bakery: San Francisco bakery and food brand centered on naturally leavened sourdough. Comparable craft fermentation expertise and brand-led approach to a leading food category.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Tender Fire Kitchen social profiles
Digital presenceTender Fire Kitchen financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Tender Fire Kitchen leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Tender Fire Kitchen funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Tender Fire Kitchen 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 Tender Fire Kitchen
What does Tender Fire Kitchen do?
Tender Fire Kitchen operates a wood-fired sourdough pizza restaurant in Santa Fe, New Mexico, selling 12-inch pizzas made from dough that is naturally leavened for 48-72 hours and cooked for 60-90 seconds in an 800-degree oven. The company sells pizzas through dine-in service at its Midtown Santa Fe location, seasonal pop-ups at local venues, private event catering with a mobile oven, and frozen pizzas for at-home consumption.
Is Tender Fire Kitchen a public or private company?
Tender Fire Kitchen is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Tender Fire Kitchen founded?
Tender Fire Kitchen was founded in 2019. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Tender Fire Kitchen based?
Tender Fire Kitchen is headquartered in Santa Fe, United States, in the North America region.
How does Tender Fire Kitchen make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Restaurant Dining is the primary driver. The others are private Event Catering and frozen Pizza Sales.
Who are Tender Fire Kitchen's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Tony's Pizza Napoletana, Pizzeria Bianco, Una Pizza Napoletana, Flour + Water, Hearth Restaurant and Roberta's. Broad incumbents are &pizza, Blaze Pizza and MOD Pizza. Tartine Bakery is listed as an emerging player.
Does Tender Fire Kitchen have an API?
No public API is recorded for Tender Fire Kitchen.
What industry is Tender Fire Kitchen in?
Tender Fire Kitchen's product category is Casual Dining. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFABAB, Pizza Fast Casual, with a secondary code of CRADADAB, Frozen Pizza & Flatbreads. Its NAICS code is 722513 and its SIC code is 2050.