Martha Hoover, founder of Won't Stop Hospitality Inc. as well as the anti-hunger organization The Patachou Foundation, is not resting on her laurels. In fact, she is officially expanding her legacy concept Café Patachou with plans to open several new restaurants throughout the midwest in the new year.
The six-time James Beard Foundation semi-finalist founded Won’t Stop Hospitality, Inc. in 1989, opening with its first concept, Café Patachou in Indianapolis. It broke the mold as one of the first restaurants in the hospitality industry to use premium ingredients and prepare food from scratch, driven by a mission to partner with local vendors and farmers. Today, Won’t Stop Hospitality, Inc. features four other concepts in addition to Café Patachou (which now has seven locations with more on the way): Petite Chou Bistro, Public Greens, Bar One Fourteen, and Napolese Pizzeria with two locations in Indianapolis.
We caught up with Martha to discuss her plan for growth, approach to ageism, importance of premium ingredients and fresh food, and more!
Bar & Restaurant News: Café Patachou was founded in 1989, a time when the "farm-to-table" movement was not as widely recognized. What inspired you to adopt this approach so early on?
Martha Hoover: When we were raising our young family, the city of Indianapolis was known as one of the largest test markets for big box restaurants and mall shop concepts. I found little-to-no dining options that offered high-quality, local, seasonal produce and products despite being in the agricultural-rich state of Indiana. I sought out these products in a multitude of ways for our family before I realized I wanted to mirror that for my local community.
In addition to pioneering the "farm-to-table" movement, Patachou’s original and first location is also credited for the creation of neighborhood dining and was the first new business since the end of WW2 to open in a dying neighborhood commerce center, and the center’s sole restaurant in its then 50-year history.
2. Café Patachou has been a pioneer in using premium ingredients and partnering with local vendors. How do you continue to innovate in a constantly evolving industry? How has your vision for Won’t Stop Hospitality, Inc. evolved since its inception?
While we have been a "pioneer" in many ways, we have never chased trends. A commitment to being radically different and radically better in all that we do and using quality as a guiding principle has allowed us to innovate at every stage of our business. Accepting change as the only constant has allowed us to evolve and be successful.
3. With plans to open several new restaurants in the Midwest next year, what key factors do you consider when deciding where to expand next?
We have been listening to customers and friends of customers for years! We think of them as our extended family, really. Having a level of brand recognition and familiarity, of course, helps when opening in new markets; so our market travelers who have been visiting Indianapolis and Patachou for years and requesting locations in their towns for a long time, we have not forgotten you.
4. What are some challenges you’ve faced in expanding your restaurant concepts, and how have you overcome them?
Patachou is not immune from the outside challenges, and we too operate with the same pressures of our local market. There are many factors outside of our four walls that we cannot control. It is what we do control that has allowed Patachou to differentiate itself and grow and prosper. From day one, we refused to adopt industry norms: We made food differently, we treated people differently, and we treated our community differently.
Patachou’s norm-busting values not only defined our company culture early, but did so without sacrificing the quality of food, quality of staff opportunities, and quality of our customer experience. Our norm-busting values strengthened our commitment to product, people, and place. And, addressing the industry’s main challenge: Patachou has attracted and retained staff. It should not be seen as disruptive to create collaborative leadership and career opportunities for those on all rungs of the ladder, yet it is.
When I opened my first restaurant, a woman couldn't get a loan or credit card without her husband cosigning. I experienced sexism and gender discrimination in the industry from vendors, landlords, potential business partners, and media. After more than three decades of being in business, we have experienced recessions, political turmoil, a global pandemic, and just about anything else you can imagine that might impact or cause swings in consumer behavior. Future-proofing our business to constantly improve the health, prosperity, and security of our restaurants, teams, and community has been key in overcoming challenges while growing the business. That looks like instituting programs like financial literacy classes and an Employee Emergency Relief Fund so we can create stability for staff, growing slowly and strategically versus growth for the sake of growth (pure vanity in my opinion), and never compromising on quality and consistency of food and experience for customers.
5. Tell our readers more about The Patachou Foundation and your philanthropic work.
Indianapolis is ranked worst in the nation for access to fresh foods, so even if resources are available, access to fresh food is not. In addition to that alarming statistic, Indianapolis area schools are not equipped with working ovens or functioning kitchens. Federally funded food programs typically fall short, leaving kids with only processed, unhealthy food choices. Many children go home to empty cupboards and empty refrigerators. To address the ever-increasing need to provide meal solutions, food access, and education, we founded The Patachou Foundation in 2013.
Today, The Patachou Foundation prepares and serves healthy meals to children impacted by food insecurity and increases their awareness, connection, and excitement about food through a program called PataSchool. Nearly 80% of kids attending the schools The Patachou Foundation serves live in or below poverty and are faced with daily food insecurity and hunger. Their meal service is complemented by hands-on educational programming to combat food insecurity at its core to break the cycle of hunger in our community. In addition to PataSchool, The Foundation created The Food Fellowship, a paid summer program that allows teens to immerse themselves in hands-on learning alongside culinary, hospitality, and agriculture industry experts, gaining valuable resume-building experience that can open doors to future opportunities.
6. As a female leader in the hospitality industry, how have you navigated challenges related to gender and ageism?
I frame it like, new talent is great, and we need to continue to support, foster, and mentor independent restaurants and the chefs and owners who want to enter the industry. But at the same time, why, especially from a media perspective, have we singularly valued the new or young restaurants as opposed to valuing the restaurants who have been around for 20, 25, 30+ years? Anyone can make a soufflé one time, but if you make a soufflé every day for 27+ years, you have accomplished something, and we should reward people who have made that soufflé rise every day for years and years. In any industry, with age comes great wisdom, and as a society, we need to put more value on that.
7. What advice would you give to other women who aspire to build their own legacy in the hospitality industry?
Fight any subconscious feeling that you need to be sorry about your success or the pursuit of success. I have been fighting my subconscious for years, trying to unlearn what I have been taught to feel sorry about for decades. And, not just unlearning it for myself, but for my children, my grandchildren, and people in my workplace and my private life.
Alvin Toffler first published the Future Shock trilogy in 1970, and it was a wildly successful series for years to follow. His quote, “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn,” has more meaning today than when first uttered.
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