By Susan Elise Campbell
Saratoga business developers Ed and Lisa Mitzen are within months of adding two new eating establishments to their portfolio and another, an additional location for the iconic Hattie’s Restaurant, opened only weeks ago. As is their mission, profits from all three businesses will be used to give back to the community.
The Mitzens are founders of Business for Good, a not-for-profit foundation that channels proceeds from its donor companies to worthy charities in the communities they serve. Lisa Mitzen said recipients are other non-profits that primarily provide help for food insecurity, housing instability, animal welfare, and other causes that are close to the Mitzen family.
Hattie’s Albany opened its doors on March 14 with a celebratory ribbon cutting at 121 Madison Avenue in Albany, former home of the renowned Lombardo’s Italian American Restaurant.
Blackbirds Bike Cafe is preparing to open for business at 43 South Main Street in the heart of the village of Voorheesville this spring, followed by Blackbirds Tavern, located across the street at 42 South Main and a much larger project, toward the end of the summer.
“Hatties has always been special to us and is a local favorite for many,” said Lisa Mitzen. “We were excited to work with owners Beth and Chef Jasper Alexander and the acquisition in 2021 happened rather organically.”
The Alexanders sold both Hattie’s Restaurant in Saratoga Springs at 45 Phila Street (originally Federal Street) and Hattie’s Chicken Shack in Wilton and continue day-to-day operations and oversight for all Hattie’s restaurants, including the seasonal Hattie’s Track Shack at Saratoga Race Course and the new Hattie’s Albany.
The iconic fried chicken restaurant goes back to 1938 and ownership has changed from founder Hattie Moseley Austin only a few times.
Mitzen said her husband reached out to Hattie’s owners because the couple was “originally intrigued by Miss Hattie’s incredible generosity.”
“It was more important for her to provide someone a meal than to turn a profit,” Mitzen said. “She was beloved, the Hattie’s brand is beloved, and we felt the acquisition was a good fit for us and what we are trying to do.”
“We thought, how cool would it be to keep Miss Hattie’s tradition alive and donate the profits through Business for Good back into the community to fight food insecurity, along with many other local causes for which there is so much need,” she said.
Hattie’s Albany occupies the address generations of customers frequented for nearly 100 years and knew as Lombardo’s, Mitzen said.
“When we found out the building was for sale, we thought that neighborhood had a lot of potential for economic growth,” she said.
So the Mitzens have traded one iconic restaurant for another, “hiring local people, creating jobs, trying to spark the economy, and making a positive change in the south end of Albany.”
“It is a neighborhood where we see great potential, and is also a center of a lot of Business for Good’s work,” she said.
To translate Hattie’s rich history into a new location outside of Saratoga, Mitzen said renovations focused on the historic nature of both restaurants.
“The people who loved Lombardo’s are coming in and saying, it’s good to see this place alive again and for such a great cause,” she said.
There is a bar area, dining room, and banquet room, and Mitzen said they “kept things to maintain that warm, familiar feeling” while stirring in the ingredients of “good Southern food and kindness” that make Hattie’s so celebrated.
“When you walk into that building it feels inviting, vibrant and fun,” she said. “It is the kind of place where you want to gather and have a good meal and share stories.”
“I think Hattie herself would have loved it,” said Mitzen.
Ed Mitzen was driving through the main street of his hometown of Voorheesville when he saw two parcels with older buildings on them for sale near the Albany County Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail.
“He thought, what a great spot for a restaurant,” she said. “Both structures have been torn down and we are building Blackbirds Bike Cafe and Blackbirds Tavern from the ground up,”
The Cafe has been designed with the cycling community in mind, given its location along a bike trail. It will serve pastries, coffee, and sandwiches as well as healthy smoothies “for an energy boost,” she said. For the cyclist who may be in need of minor repairs, some limited bike equipment will be available.
The Tavern will offer quality, casual dining and an extensive beer list. With two golf simulators and high-definition TVs to screen sporting events, Mitzen said the Tavern will be a destination for gatherings and family fun.
“The stars aligned and now we’re watching things come to fruition for Blackbirds Bike Cafe and Blackbirds Tavern,” she said. “Blackbirds are the town’s school mascot and Ed played football there when he was growing up, so there is a special place in his heart” for the Mitzen’s two newest businesses.
“I would say Voorheesville is an up-and-coming town,” said Mitzen. “Other businesses are opening up there and we are excited to be a part of a wonderful community.”
The general manager for Blackbirds Bike Cafe and the Tavern is Justin Romeo, a former member of the Business for Good team. Mitzen said Romeo is working closely with some of the chefs associated with the non-profit to identify candidates to staff the kitchen.
Mitzen said the plan for both enterprises is to donate any profits derived to Business for Good, which will in turn donate back to fund high school athletics in Voorheesville.
Profits from Hattie’s Albany will be directed to organizations that help provide food to people in need in the community. According to statistics from the state’s Department of Health, one in four adults in New York reports being food insecure due to poverty, unemployment, and low wages.
“Good food and kindness is welcome everywhere,” said Mitzen. “From day one it has been our goal to help people.”
Since 2020 Business for Good has been advancing the model of traditional venture philanthropy in the Greater Capital Region. Its efforts have been recognized on a national level, including being named to Fast Company’s 2023 list of Brands That Matter.