For more
information:
Emily Connolly or Morgan Lanier
Melissa
Libby & Associates
404-816-3068
CHEF AND RESTAURATEUR MARC TAFT FORMS
SOUTHERN FRIED HOSPITALITY
Parent Company to Support Chicken and the Egg, Brine Seafood Shack,
FEED – Fried Chicken & Such; CO-OP Community Table + Bar; Future Growth Includes Restaurant Development Services
ATLANTA (Jan. 31, 2017) – Executive chef and restaurateur
Marc Taft has created a restaurant management company called Southern Fried
Hospitality to provide management and development for his four restaurants - Chicken and the Egg, Brine Seafood Shack (debuting spring 2017 in Alpharetta’s Avalon), FEED – Fried Chicken & Such (scheduled to open late spring in The Battery Atlanta adjacent to
SunTrust Park) and CO-OP Community Table + Bar (scheduled to open April 2018 in
Forsyth County’s HALCYON Development). The company also plans to expand its
consulting services to both restaurants and hotel F&B operations.
“Brine and FEED are two brands that we plan to
grow, so it’s important to make sure guests know what they represent,” says
Taft. “Chicken and the Egg evolved through customer feedback. I firmly believe
that having solid teams in place to lead these restaurants, taking care of
guests and evaluating how diners respond will determine our long term
objectives.”
As president of the company, Taft is focused on
concept development and growth in addition to the company’s culinary operations.
Joining Taft is the company’s vice president of operations Tom Foust, formerly
of Rathbun’s, Chicken and the Egg and McKendrick’s and director of operations
Fran Kieffer, who has worked at Chicken and the Egg, Rio Bravo, The Tavern at
Phipps and Einstein’s restaurant. Foust oversees the day-to-day operations, the
beverage programs, as well as all aspects of guest service, while Kieffer is
responsible for front-of-house operations in each restaurant and providing
direction to all general managers. The three men have a history of working
together, having all served in management positions for Kimpton Hotels &
Restaurants earlier in their careers. Now, their combined leadership experience
allows them to establish a unique purpose driven corporate culture, exceptional
service standards and memorable dining experiences.
Although Taft grew up in Alabama and has been a
proponent of Southern fare ever since he first tasted his grandmother’s fried
chicken at the Sunday dinner table, he looks forward to spreading his wings and
showcasing his other culinary abilities with the creation of new restaurants
under the Southern Fried Hospitality umbrella.
“Our restaurants reflect the experiences I have
had throughout my career,” he says. “Although guests will see the majority of
our brands heavily influenced by Southern heritage, we will be branching out
with other unique concepts.”
One aspect of Taft’s chef-driven restaurants
that will remain consistent is the dedication to bringing only the finest
sourced ingredients to guests, whether it is sustainable, Southern
California-style seafood outlined by the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch at Brine, modern-farmstead
fare at Chicken and the Egg, fast-casual fried chicken and Southern sides at
FEED, or hyper-local ingredients at CO-OP.
Many
of Taft’s longtime employees at Chicken and the Egg have moved up in the ranks
to take on management roles in the new restaurants, and the growth has already
been generating an air of excitement at the restaurant.
“Something
that Tom, Fran and I all agree on is that we have to be progressive and attract
talent from multiple generations,” Taft says of what Southern Fried’s formation
is achieving for his restaurants and his employees. “We are putting a lot of
focus on technology and people and creating a culture from the inside out that
drives the guest experience, and our staff is already responding very
positively to the changes.”
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