In an period when many within the restaurant business are scaling again attributable to financial uncertainty and shifting client habits, Thompson Hospitality Group is doing the other—rising with intention, fueled by goal, and rooted in a customer-first method.
In accordance with the Nationwide Restaurant Affiliation’s State of the Restaurant Trade 2025 Report, Shoppers plan to proceed spending of their native eating places, pushing business gross sales nationwide to a projected $ 1.5 trillion.
As the biggest Black-owned restaurant group in america, Thompson Hospitality is redefining the eating panorama by doing what many within the business overlook—listening intently to its clients and letting their voices drive enterprise selections. By rigorous buyer analysis, direct suggestions, and a dedication to evolving tastes, the model continues to innovate, increase, and thrive regardless of the unpredictable nature of right now’s financial system.
On the coronary heart of Thompson Hospitality’s success is its dynamic restaurant division, Thompson Eating places, which continues to increase its footprint and model affect. The group’s latest announcement of the most recent Milk & Honey location in Charlottesville, Virginia, underscores the model’s dedication to bringing daring, Southern-inspired delicacies to new communities.
A Style of Progress in Charlottesville
Thompson Eating places lately added to its portfolio with the opening of Milk & Honey in Charlottesville, VA, marking the 14th location beneath Thompson Hospitality’s rising restaurant portfolio. This growth into Charlottesville, Virginia, is important. Town turned the middle of nationwide consideration in 2017 following the tragic and racially motivated Unite the Proper rally, which resulted in violence, the demise of Heather Heyer, and a sobering reminder of the deep divisions that also exist in America. The imagery of white supremacists marching with torches on the grounds of the College of Virginia shook the nation and left a long-lasting scar on the local people.
In opposition to this backdrop, the opening of a Black-owned, Southern-inspired restaurant model like Milk & Honey holds highly effective significance.
“Bringing Milk & Honey to Charlottesville isn’t nearly enterprise development—it’s about cultural presence, therapeutic, and making a welcoming area the place everybody can really feel seen, valued, and well-fed,” stated Mumia Fatiu, vp of Operations at Thompson Hospitality.
By establishing a vibrant, upscale eating expertise that celebrates Southern flavors, Black culinary traditions, and group gathering, Thompson Hospitality helps reshape the narrative of a metropolis as soon as marred by hate. Milk & Honey’s arrival symbolizes the progress of Black possession thriving in an area the place inclusion and illustration are wanted now greater than ever.
“We see that Southern delicacies is underserved in Charlottesville, and we’re excited to fill that void with our fan-favorite menu objects,” stated Alex Berentzen, COO of Thompson Eating places. “That is about extra than simply meals—it’s about making a optimistic area rooted in tradition, hospitality, and excellence.”
A Dedication to the Buyer
Even amid industrywide challenges—rising prices, staffing shortages, and shifting client behaviors—Thompson Hospitality’s north star stays its clients.
“Our No. 1 precedence is the visitor expertise,” stated Fatiu. “We’re centered on listening to our clients, understanding what they need, and ensuring that customer support is a focus in each facet of our enterprise operations.”
This dedication is greater than phrases—it’s a strategic method that shapes the corporate’s growth plans, menu innovation, and day-to-day operations. From front-of-house coaching to kitchen execution, each touchpoint is constructed with the client in thoughts.
“There’s an entire understanding all through our staff that serving our clients and offering the best high quality meals and experiences will proceed to drive our enterprise ahead,” Fatiu added.
Not like many giant restaurant teams that rely closely on top-down decision-making, Thompson Hospitality champions bottom-up insights. The group leverages buyer knowledge, suggestions loops, and eating tendencies to tell the whole lot from menu design to service enhancements. This data-driven, people-powered mannequin has allowed the corporate to constantly refine and personalize the eating expertise, making every location uniquely tailor-made to its group.
A Legacy of Management and Impression
Based in 1992 by Warren Thompson, Thompson Hospitality started as a meals service administration firm and has since grown right into a multifaceted enterprise with operations spanning eating places, catering, services administration, and hospitality companies. Regardless of its spectacular measurement, the corporate stays rooted in a household enterprise ethos, prioritizing integrity, high quality, and group.
As the corporate grows, so too does its impression. Thompson Hospitality continues to be a beacon for Black entrepreneurship and possession in a traditionally missing range on the high. Its capacity to scale whereas staying true to its roots provides a strong blueprint for fulfillment within the trendy financial system.
Whether or not by the flavorful expansions of Milk & Honey or the group’s broader efforts to reimagine eating throughout the nation, one factor is evident: Thompson Hospitality isn’t just navigating the way forward for meals—it’s main it.
Whereas others are taking part in it secure, Thompson Hospitality is boldly increasing, bringing individuals collectively, and delivering experiences as wealthy in tradition as they’re in style.
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