Opp Kitchen in Martinez debuts to-go style food hall with local businesses

Samantha Winn, Aiken Standard, S.C.
·4 min read

Aug. 19—Combining forces with several small businesses, Opp Kitchen is a new to-go food hall style restaurant in Martinez, Ga., that brings a variety of food flavors to the public.

The new restaurant, located at 359 Furys Ferry Road, opened Aug. 13. Owner Onnie Sanford, who also runs participating business Paleo Num Yums, found a way to utilize her existing commercial kitchen space after the effects of the COVID-19 affected her sales.

"There are a lot of businesses right now struggling. They needed to hire people but they couldn't afford to hire somebody. Prices were going up, their bottom line was going to have to go up, which means their costs to consumers was going to go up and they didn't know how to do it," Sanford explained.

"...I kind of sat back and thought wow, 'Why am I being quiet and ashamed that my business is struggling when there's a lot of food based businesses that are struggling?' I started to kind of put together a shared kitchen concept which is big in Columbia, Atlanta and even Orlando."

Opp Kitchen aims to bring people together through its variety of food options with little overlap. Paleo Num Yums, Uprooted Vegan Cuisine, Angeleno Street Tacos, PJ's Snacky Sack and Zip Chef currently rotate using the two commercial kitchen spaces in the building to cook and refrigerate food.

Sanford said she enjoys learning and helping the businesses within Opp Kitchen succeed and have a place for them to cook.

"I like helping these businesses. They are all at very different stages, some of them are full on running and they just need a place to let go and they get to offer some more stuff. Some of them are newer businesses that need a little bit more help getting started and that is kind of where I really like is giving them a little guidance and guiding them along the way and telling them things that have worked for me, things that haven't worked for me," she said.

Norman Aldredge, who shares the kitchen and also creates frozen entrees made for meal prep for ZipChef, is excited for the business and for the community to eat together.

"We just had our grand opening the other day and the opportunity to interact with the other businesses who also occupy the space with us is something that is unique," he said. "A lot of folks only see those other businesses as their competitors, but at Opp, we do kind of compete with each other but we also offer such a variety of foods that we support each other as far as rounding out the market."

"I think the biggest reaction is that people love the variety," Sanford said. "...Everyone in a group of friends or family, you always have that one person that eats differently. They have a food allergy, they have food sensitivities, or they are just really picky. Now there is something for everybody. Every business here is very different and nobody really overlaps with each other and I make sure when I look at bringing other businesses on that their foods don't overlap."

Businesses who are interested in renting kitchen space or using retail fridges can email Opp Kitchen at info@oppkitchen.com.

"We are glad to be a part of it and we think that this concept is something that the busy, bustling area of Evans, Grovetown and even down into Augusta, it has been needed for a long time," Aldredge said.

"It allows people to try so many different flavors without having to trek all over Augusta. Time is a very valuable commodity and we kind of help give you more time," Sanford said. "It's kind of a one stop shop, there is something for everybody and the fact that you are supporting small business, which evidently have really struggled in the aftermath of COVID, allows them to grow and see what they can do and see where they want to go."

Samantha Winn covers the cities of North Augusta and Augusta, with a focus on community oriented business and events. Follow her on Twitter: @samanthamwinn and on Facebook and Instagram: @swinnnews.