Our story:

Wow…we are celebrating 14 years since we opened the doors at Em’s Kitchen! In some ways, it feels like yesterday, and in other ways, I feel every single day of those 14 years (maybe it’s my 4 children?!) We are definitely on the other side of the pandemic and we are busier than ever. Actually, I’m astounded daily by how busy we are! I love looking at a line out the door as I make sandwiches in “my spot” on the line. I love having conversations with loyal customers, meeting new people and continuing to make people happy with simple food.

As a reminder, we CATER! Our catering business truly blossomed in the past 14 years. We are proud to regularly cater for many departments at UGA, and we continue to provide meals for Athens Tech, Foothills Charter School, the Clarke County School District, Oconee County Schools and soooo many more organizations around town! When we first opened, catering was not even something I wanted to do. I just wanted to provide simple, yet amazing, food to our loyal clientele. But the demand has increased and so we listened to what the people want!

I expect to continue growing – as head into year 15, we are GRATEFUL for our loyal customers. We beat the odds of restaurants closures and Em’s Kitchen is here to stay. We are cheering for our 14th year! Much love to all of you.    -Emily

Here’s a bit about how it all began…

Although Em’s Kitchen officially opened its doors in September 2010, it really began in 1990 when Andy and Debbie Ullrich opened a soda fountain in Hawthorne Drugs. The idea behind the soda fountain was to draw more customers into the store. Fortunately, the soda fountain’s business boomed for 20 years. Customers enjoyed coming to the pharmacy, not only to get prescriptions filled, but also to sample soda shop faves such as homemade sandwiches and classic hot dogs. A trip to Hawthorne Drugs was never complete without a stop at the soda fountain for a chicken salad sandwich, a chili dog or a milkshake. Because the soda fountain became so busy, we decided we needed to expand! This is where I come in…

I (Emily) began working my very first job at the soda fountain in 1998, the summer I turned sixteen. As the years went by, I came and went from Hawthorne Drugs while I figured out the right career path for me. Long story short…here we are, years later. Over the years, I’ve come full circle (and married the owners’ son in the meantime!) I don’t consider Em’s Kitchen a soda fountain anymore, but we still have the classic Hawthorne Drugs sandwiches, hot dogs and drinks that the pharmacy served for so many years. We’ve added sandwiches, salads, soups and desserts (ooey gooey bar, anyone?!) so you can find your new favorite! We also cater casual events, we have a 20 person meeting space and we invite you to give us a try. I am inspired by food, family, and friends – Come introduce yourself, enjoy the conversation, and start making Em’s Kitchen your new favorite place!