Chef Joe Schafer has joined Electric Hospitality Co. (Ladybird Grove & Mess Hall, Ranger Station, Muchacho) as vice president of culinary, marking the end of his six years at State Farm Arena.
Chef G. Garvin, co-founder and executive chef at LowCountry Steak in Midtown and LowCountry at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, has replaced Schafer as chief culinary officer at State Farm Arena.
Though Schafer, who spent a year and a half as executive chef at Bacchanalia, wasn’t actively looking for a new position, the Electric Hospitality Co. opportunity fit with his goal of getting back into the restaurant industry.
“I kind of asked myself, where do I want to be in the next five, six years,” he said. “This is a restaurant group that has been around town for going on 10 years if you consider Ladybird, so it’s established and looking to grow. These things are very appealing to me.”
Credit: Courtesy of Mobs Robertson
Credit: Courtesy of Mobs Robertson
Electric Hospitality is in the midst of growing its events and catering arm of the business, which includes event space Electric Room in west Midtown’s Star Metals District. Schafer hopes to tap into the company’s creativity to establish a catering menu with a “playful attitude.”
“I am looking to be that caterer that you think about when you want to do something outside the box a little bit,” he said.
Credit: Courtesy of Gabriella Valladares
Credit: Courtesy of Gabriella Valladares
While Electric Hospitality has no immediate plans for new concepts, it is set to open additional locations of its taco and coffee concept Muchacho on the Westside on Hemphill Avenue in early 2024 and in Decatur in mid to late 2024. Plans for a previously planned Beltline seafood restaurant Hello Submarine have been scrapped.
The Muchacho menu will be “getting a facelift,” Schafer said. This week he’ll release a new all-day Muchacho menu served from 8 a.m.- 3 p.m. with new breakfast and lunch items. At 3 p.m., the restaurant will switch to an “all-night menu,” which will lose the breakfast offerings and add dinner items. Barista services will be expanded so customers can order coffee drinks until close.
In November or December, Ladybird will undergo a menu change as well, with more shareable items to create a communal dining experience.
“(I’m here to) hopefully keep us on the cusp of that culinary edge for as long as I can,” Schafer said.
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