The Line — Help us open

We have spent our careers in hospitality. Matt, as a chef and co-owner of Preston's Burgers. Letha, who co-owns Preston's alongside him and runs Bake Me Happy with her wife. And me, as a chef and owner, most recently of The Table, before COVID shut it down. Between the three of us, we have decades in this industry. We know exactly how hard people work, and we know exactly how small the margins can be.

Like many others who struggled during the pandemic, all it took was one missed paycheck.

We started cooking meals for out-of-work restaurant workers because it was what we could do. But the longer we were in it, the clearer it became — the pandemic didn't create this problem. It made a systemic problem impossible to ignore. Hospitality workers earn 44% less than workers in other industries. Nearly half of the working poor in this country work in service. There is no infrastructure to catch these folks when they fall.

So instead of going back to our restaurants and moving on, we decided to build the thing that should have always existed.

What we built first

In March 2022, we opened Café Overlook on the 16th floor of the Franklin County Courthouse — a real working café that runs as a paid six-month culinary apprenticeship. Trainees earn a living wage in the program, graduate with a credential from Otterbein University, and get placed in jobs that pay.

It works. It won a NACo Achievement Award. And it proved the model.

Now we're building The Line.

What The Line is

The Line is a permanent workforce training center at 145 N. Grant Avenue — a professional kitchen, training facility, and job placement program built for hospitality workers in Columbus.

Fifty adults per year will go through a paid six-month program. They will earn wages while they learn, graduate with a credential, and have job placement support. They will also get help with transportation, financial coaching, and stability support — because a training program that ignores real life doesn't work.

Construction is underway. The building is nearly ready.

Why we're asking

$2.72 million of The Line's budget is already committed — from the federal government, Franklin County, the City of Columbus, and private partners who believe this works.

$100,000 gets us closer to finishing construction and bringing in our first class. That's what this is. The building exists. The model is proven. We just need to open the doors.

What your gift does

$50 — One week of transportation support so someone can show up reliably

$100 — Certification materials and training resources

$250 — Career coaching and job placement support for one trainee

$500 — One month of stability support — utilities, work supplies, emergency needs

$2,500 — Helps a worker complete the full six-month program

Every amount matters. Participation matters just as much as size.

You’re not just donating—you’re becoming part of the founding community that built The Line.

Every city has places people remember.

We hope The Line becomes one of those places — not just because of what happens in the kitchen, but because of the lives rebuilt around it.

Thank you for helping Columbus build something lasting for the people who have quietly taken care of us for years.

— Sangeeta Lakhani, Matthew Heaggans, and Letha Pugh Service! Relief for Hospitality Workers

The Line — Workforce Training for Columbus Restaurant Workers