Metz bought the businesses in 2017, nine years after its two founders with backgrounds in retail and culinary arts set out to offer cooking classes that were more hands-on and personal than local competitors. Metz said that spirit and the industry itself was largely what drew him in.
“This business looked fun and it looked like it had growth potential,” Metz said and added that the business’ revenue has nearly doubled through expanded offerings since he bought it.
Located at University Pointe since 2013, The Learning Kitchen has one class a day from Monday through Saturday and, under its current setup, the kitchen’s sole classroom has 12 different workstations that host one to two students a piece — a capacity that Metz has deemed too small to keep up with demand.
“We’re just busting out at the seams,” Metz said.
Metz said the expansion has been in the works since June, and he originally hoped to be using the new classroom by January or February of this year. Instead, delays have pushed back Metz’s estimation to March or April.
Metz said the kitchen’s personal cooking experience was coincidentally perfectly suited for for the COVID-19 pandemic safety needs; the one-to-two person cooking stations were already spaced out and nobody other than the customer touches their own food. Plus, Metz said, people took the pandemic as a time to brush up on their cooking skills.
Outside of standard classes, The Learning Kitchen hosts private events and runs programs like its annual five-day kids summer camp, which Metz said will soon accommodate more kids with the additional classroom and space.
Metz said the expansion will not cause price increases for The Learning Kitchen’s classes, though inflationary rises in food and labor costs might cause class prices to fluctuate. Classes currently start at $85 for adults.
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