Stone Mountain Village restaurant Sweet Potato Cafe is one of 50 restaurants nationwide to receive a $50,000 grant from American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, part of a partnership program called “Backing Historic Small Restaurants.”
Sweet Potato Cafe is the only Georgia-based restaurant awarded one of the grants this year. Grants help with upgrades, renovations, and growing the business, according to an announcement about the 2024 recipients. Atlanta restaurants Daddy D’z BBQ and Nakato both received grants in 2021.
In addition to funding, each restaurant will receive one year of complimentary access to Resy’s restaurant management software, Resy OS, to streamline costs and boost service operations.
“In its fourth year, the program has reached 125 historic, small restaurants in every U.S. state, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. American Express launched the Backing Historic Small Restaurants program in 2021 in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation to support historic and culturally significant restaurants during the pandemic,” the announcement said.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation selected this year’s grantees from a group of restaurants that operate in historic buildings or neighborhoods and provide cultural significance to their communities through history, cuisine, and location.
Sweet Potato Cafe Chef Karen Patton opened the Stone Mountain Village restaurant with her husband, Darrell, 16 years ago. They have big plans for the $50,000.
“We are planning to build a deck on the side of the building that will allow us to add 15-to-20 seats, refreshing the exterior, adding lighting and making our windows more energy efficient,” Patton said. “It’s very exciting.”
She heard about the program last year and decided that the couple’s 1500-square-foot restaurant, built in the 1800s as a single-family home, was a perfect fit for the grant. The application, though not complicated, was “very involved,” she said.
“It took a minute to fill out, and we had to add more information along the way,” said Patton. “As late as last week, we were still researching and providing information about the application.”
Sweet Potato Cafe, according to its website, is a casual dining, farm-to-table concept, with homemade biscuits, comfort food entrees, vegetables from its garden, homemade desserts, and specialty items centering its vegetable namesake: sweet potatoes.
Patton said the restaurant is dedicated to supporting the community, and it has received love and support in return, especially during the pandemic.
“We had so many customers who continued to support us through COVID, and it saved us,” she said. “We are all about community and it’s been like this since day one.”
The restaurant is open from Wednesday through Sunday for lunch and dinner, and offers Saturday breakfast and Sunday brunch.
5377 Manor Drive, Stone Mountain.
