Café Momentum prepares teens to work in restaurant industry
A program that gives teenagers hands-on experience working in a restaurant is now up and running in Atlanta.
Why it matters: Café Momentum in Downtown redirects at-risk young people to a steady job and income, which can help them stay out of trouble.
How it works: The restaurant, which opened in late March, is staffed almost exclusively with kids between ages 15 and 19.
They prepare food, take orders, talk about the menu with customers, and perform back-of-house tasks.
Participants are referred to the program, and if they enroll, they spend a year-long internship working at Café Momentum.
Along with the restaurant side, the nonprofit also has space where students can get mental health support, access case management services, read books, play games, and complete their education.
Once they finish the internship, they can either choose to stay in the food and beverage industry or get connected with people who can help them embark on other career paths.
What they're saying: CEO and founder Chad Houser, who is the James Beard Foundation's 2025 Humanitarian of the Year, told Axios he expanded to Atlanta after learning there was a "robust interest" in the program.
"I think it's really special to watch a young person grow in their confidence and self-esteem and believe in themselves," said Houser, who lives in Dallas. "I think you see it so vividly when they're waiting tables in the dining room."
Houser opened the first Café Momentum restaurant in 2015 in Dallas and later expanded to Pittsburgh.
The vibe: Dimmed lighting, cozy seating and a carefully curated menu filled with seasonal offerings make Café Momentum a solid choice for dining out.
Zoom in: Benjamin Wills, executive director of Café Momentum's Atlanta location, told Axios the program is unique because it provides young people space to work and earn an income while getting help in other areas of their lives.
"I think it's really the combining of those two things that sees a person as a whole person, seeks to meet them where they are and try to help them get to where it is that they would like to go," he said.
Santorrio Lee, a Café Momentum ambassador and sous chef at the Atlanta restaurant, told Axios the program allows him to help his family bring in income and "stay away from doing any type of bad things."
The bottom line: When asked why people should support the nonprofit, Lee's response was simple.
"We always tell everybody come and eat," he said. "I say a happy stomach makes a happy person."
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