empress chili

What empress chili does

Empress Chili is a privately held, family-owned Cincinnati-style chili company headquartered in the Cincinnati, Ohio area, founded in 1922 by Macedonian immigrants Tom and John Kiradjieff, who began serving their seasoned meat sauce from a shop adjacent to the Empress Theatre in downtown Cincinnati. The company operates a single owned restaurant at 7934 Alexandria Pike in Alexandria, Kentucky, and distributes its original-recipe chili — made with quality beef, a proprietary blend of secret spices, and no preservatives — through regional independent grocery chains (Remke, Hatting's, Wyatt's, Ameristop, Finke's, Hansman), Walmart locations across Kentucky and Ohio, and wholesale foodservice supply to local restaurants including Angilo's Pizza, Champions Grille, Mama's Grill, Howie's Diner, and Belterra Park. The brand markets itself as the originator of Cincinnati-style chili and references more than 150 chili parlors in Greater Cincinnati that trace their lineage to its 1922 recipe.

The business generates revenue through three primary channels: direct-to-consumer restaurant sales at the owned Alexandria location, retail packaged-chili sales through grocery distribution, and wholesale supply to foodservice partners. A franchising program was launched under current owner Steve Martin, who acquired the company in March 2020 from Jim Papakirk, and franchise inquiries are directed to the owner via email. The company has no disclosed digital presence beyond a Squarespace-hosted website, no app, no disclosed headcount, no funding rounds, and no documented technology stack — the core asset is the heritage recipe and brand narrative rather than any software or platform architecture.

Name

empress chili

Legal name

Empress Chili

Website

https://empress-chili.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1922

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Empress Chili is a family-owned Cincinnati-style chili brand founded in 1922, operating one restaurant in Alexandria, KY, and distributing its original-recipe chili through regional grocery stores, Walmart, and local restaurant partners across Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cincinnati-Style Chili Restaurant

NAICS

Mayonnaise, Dressing, and Other Prepared Sauce Manufacturing (311941)

SIC

Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Prepared soups, stews & chili manufacturing (AFAKAHAJ)

Keywords

• Cincinnati chili
• Chili restaurant
• Prepared chili foods
• Chili franchise
• Regional chili brand

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Food Product Sales (Retail): Empress Chili generates revenue through the sale of its prepared chili products at local grocery store locations throughout the Cincinnati metropolitan area (Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana). Customers purchase chili for home consumption.
2. Foodservice Distribution: Chili is supplied to local restaurants and diners including Angilo's Pizza, Champions Grille, Mama's Grill, Howie's Diner, Belterra Park, and others, generating revenue through wholesale food product sales.
3. Restaurant Operations: The company operates its own Empress Chili restaurant location at 7934 Alexandria Pike, Alexandria, KY, serving customers directly through dine-in and takeout.
4. Franchising: Empress Chili offers franchise opportunities for individuals interested in opening Empress Chili restaurants. Interested parties are directed to contact the owner Steve Martin via email.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Empress Chili produces and sells Cincinnati-style chili using its original 1922 recipe made with quality beef, a proprietary secret spice blend, and no preservatives. The company operates one company-owned restaurant in Alexandria, KY, distributes its chili products to local grocery stores and partner restaurants throughout the greater Cincinnati region (Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana), and offers franchising opportunities for new Empress Chili locations.

Product overview

Empress Chili operates as a family-owned restaurant chain specializing in Cincinnati-style chili. The company offers its original recipe chili (established 1922), signature menu items including the Cheese Coney and Three Way, served at restaurant locations in the Cincinnati area. The business also distributes products through grocery stores throughout the region. The product portfolio centers on a single unified restaurant/food service offering with no modular or platform-based architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Original Recipe Cincinnati-Style Chili
• Cheese Coney
• Three Way
• Empress Chili Restaurant (Dine-In and Takeout)
• Empress Chili Franchise Opportunity

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Skyline Chili: The largest and most widely known Cincinnati-style chili chain, operating dozens of restaurants across Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Florida. Most directly comparable peer to Empress Chili on product (Cincinnati chili, cheese coneys, three-ways), customer base, and regional footprint.
• Gold Star Chili: Long-standing Cincinnati-style chili chain founded in 1965 with company-owned and franchised restaurants across Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. Directly comparable on product (chili, cheese coneys, three-ways) and on the same tri-state geographic market as Empress Chili.
• Dixie Chili: Cincinnati-style chili parlor in Newport, KY, founded in 1971. Comparable to Empress as another regional Cincinnati chili parlor with wholesale and restaurant operations in the Northern Kentucky / Greater Cincinnati market.
• Camp Washington Chili: Iconic Cincinnati chili parlor established in 1940 in the Camp Washington neighborhood. Comparable to Empress as a heritage Cincinnati chili single-/few-location operator selling the same category dishes to regional food enthusiasts.
• Blue Ash Chili: Multi-location Cincinnati-style chili parlor chain operating in the Greater Cincinnati area. Comparable to Empress on product offering, regional foodservice distribution, and restaurant operating model.
• Pleasant Ridge Chili: Local Cincinnati chili parlor with multiple locations in the Greater Cincinnati area serving Cincinnati-style chili dishes. Direct competitor to Empress Chili in the same regional market with overlapping menu items.

Broad incumbents

• Hormel Chili: Hormel's national packaged chili brands (Chili Master, Stagg Chili, etc.) compete with Empress Chili on grocery shelves. Comparable as a broader CPG incumbent in the same chili category but operating at national scale and via mass-market distribution rather than regional Cincinnati-style heritage.
• Stagg Chili: Canned chili brand (now under Hormel) sold nationally in grocery channels. Comparable to Empress Chili's retail chili SKUs as a competing shelf-stable chili product, though Stagg operates as a mass-market CPG brand rather than a regional heritage operator.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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 empress chili