Melissa and David Hahn plan to close Salt & Forge in Jackson Ward. (BizSense file)
A Jackson Ward breakfast and lunch spot will soon sling its last biscuit as its owner looks to law school, public service and beyond.
Salt & Forge will close on Feb. 13 after four years at 312 N. Second St.
David and Melissa Hahn opened Salt & Forge in spring 2018 with a menu heavy on biscuits for breakfast and sandwiches and salads.
Hahn said the decision to close Salt & Forge was not driven by finances or the health of the restaurant, but instead by his desire to get into political activism and policy-making, aspirations that will start with attending law school.
“It’s a decision based on recognizing that I have somewhere between 25 to 30 years left in my professional life and thinking about what I want to accomplish with that time,” Hahn said.
He said he thinks in the next two decades that the country will see massive changes to things like racial equality, police accountability, fair housing and voting rights, and that getting his law degree will help him be a part of those changes.
“I think a lot of those issues are going to be fought out in the court system,” Hahn said. “I’m interested in attacking some of this in a policy level and case law level-type of manner.”
Salt & Forge’s revenue has rebounded from the initial blow of the pandemic and the business is healthy despite rising ingredient costs that have cut into margins. But Hahn said he wasn’t interested in selling it.
“Salt & Forge is my baby. I’ll retain the intellectual property and the recipes. I don’t want to turn that over to somebody and have them do what they want with it,” he said.
He will, however, be looking to sell Salt & Forge’s food truck, which hit the road in 2019.
Melissa Hahn owns the restaurant’s building in Jackson Ward and David said they’ve enlisted One South Commercial’s Ann Schweitzer-Riley to market the 1,700-square-foot restaurant space.
Hahn said he’s working to help his staff of eight find new jobs. After that, he said he’ll dive into studying for the Law School Admission Test.
“This was just the opportunity to close it on our terms, say goodbye and find good homes for everybody,” he said.
Melissa and David Hahn plan to close Salt & Forge in Jackson Ward. (BizSense file)
A Jackson Ward breakfast and lunch spot will soon sling its last biscuit as its owner looks to law school, public service and beyond.
Salt & Forge will close on Feb. 13 after four years at 312 N. Second St.
David and Melissa Hahn opened Salt & Forge in spring 2018 with a menu heavy on biscuits for breakfast and sandwiches and salads.
Hahn said the decision to close Salt & Forge was not driven by finances or the health of the restaurant, but instead by his desire to get into political activism and policy-making, aspirations that will start with attending law school.
“It’s a decision based on recognizing that I have somewhere between 25 to 30 years left in my professional life and thinking about what I want to accomplish with that time,” Hahn said.
He said he thinks in the next two decades that the country will see massive changes to things like racial equality, police accountability, fair housing and voting rights, and that getting his law degree will help him be a part of those changes.
“I think a lot of those issues are going to be fought out in the court system,” Hahn said. “I’m interested in attacking some of this in a policy level and case law level-type of manner.”
Salt & Forge’s revenue has rebounded from the initial blow of the pandemic and the business is healthy despite rising ingredient costs that have cut into margins. But Hahn said he wasn’t interested in selling it.
“Salt & Forge is my baby. I’ll retain the intellectual property and the recipes. I don’t want to turn that over to somebody and have them do what they want with it,” he said.
He will, however, be looking to sell Salt & Forge’s food truck, which hit the road in 2019.
Melissa Hahn owns the restaurant’s building in Jackson Ward and David said they’ve enlisted One South Commercial’s Ann Schweitzer-Riley to market the 1,700-square-foot restaurant space.
Hahn said he’s working to help his staff of eight find new jobs. After that, he said he’ll dive into studying for the Law School Admission Test.
“This was just the opportunity to close it on our terms, say goodbye and find good homes for everybody,” he said.
Best of luck David – we’ll certainly miss having you in the block!
Very sorry to see Salt and Forge close. It is a really great venue and we were weekly parons. But best of luck to Dave. I am sure he will do well in his new career and have an even greater impact in our community.
Nooooooo! We will miss y’all so much. Thanks for bringing great food and happy vibes to the neighborhood. Best of luck in the new adventures.
Ashley,
My response exactly…
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
Thank you for being committed to helping make this world a better place!
I love this place. So sad to see it go.
You will be missed!
Best biscuits and gravy in Richmond, what a shame.
Good luck but …. but …. but you were already making the world a better place, one biscuit at a time
Congratulations David & Melissa! Thanks for all you have done for HJWA .You will certainly be missed. I definitely like your ideology, business savvy and your commitment to doing the right thing!!!
good luck on your journey. a piece of advice (uninvited) someone once shared with me (uninvited): there are many ways to change the world. your story has no doubt inspired many by now and that includes before this highlighted version of it. keep it up.
So sad to hear you all are closing. Loved the whole vibe there. Great, great, great sandwiches! It’s not easy making a restaurant succeed and you all nailed it!