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Old Skool Cafe Named
S. Truett Cathy Honoree for 2025 True Inspiration Awards Program

Jan. 15, 2025

Sparkling Blackberry Mint Lemonade

Our lemonade is a customer favorite. Turns out, it's also the perfect base for making your own herbal infusions at home.

A $350,000 grant will help the Bay-area nonprofit provide job training, employment and a second chance for at-risk youth.


Each January, Chick-fil-A, Inc. announces its Chick-fil-A True Inspiration Awards® grant recipients, including the S. Truett Cathy honoree. This $350,000 grant—our top honor—celebrates the legacy of our founder’s commitment to serving others. In 2025, this grant went to Old Skool Cafe, an organization that provides mentorship and employment opportunities for at-risk youth. 

Located in San Francisco, Old Skool Cafe is a one-of-a-kind 1920s speakeasy-style restaurant featuring live jazz and serving soul food from around the globe – but that’s not the only thing that makes the restaurant unique. 

The nonprofit is run entirely by 16 to 22-year-olds—many formerly incarcerated, in foster care or overcoming significant challenges. Old Skool Cafe aims to cultivate a nurturing environment to help these youth break out of negative cycles to build brighter futures.

Building Community
When Teresa Goines, Old Skool Cafe’s CEO and founder, worked as a juvenile corrections officer, she discovered the system’s failure to rehabilitate youth and reintegrate them into society. Compelled by the stories of the young people she met, Teresa began to formulate a solution, envisioning a place where at-risk youth could find not only employment, but also gain a sense of purpose and community. This vision gave rise to Old Skool Cafe. 

"As a juvenile institutional officer, my eyes were opened to many things that grieved my heart,” Teresa said. “I wanted to help these youth by creating something that would provide employment, but also a sense of community, family and purpose.” 

Teresa tailored the organization to the needs of at-risk youth based off interactions she had with young, incarcerated men and women. She also intentionally chose the restaurant’s Harlem Renaissance theme to honor the rich cultural history of that era while creating an inspiring environment for growth and transformation. 

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Humble Beginnings
Launched in 2004, the program began in Teresa’s home and operated out of temporary spaces for seven years. In 2012, Old Skool Cafe found its permanent home, officially opening its doors as a space where young people could find not only jobs but also hope, mentorship and a new sense of purpose. 

The youth employed at the restaurant run the entire show – from cooking and waiting tables to providing live entertainment. Beyond offering a paycheck, the program invests deeply in each participant, providing one-on-one mentorship, behavioral health support, life skills training, goal-setting workshops and hands-on job experience. 

A Look at the Neighborhood
Located in the southeastern corner of San Francisco, the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood faces significant challenges. As a low-income area plagued by gang violence, its crime rate is 176% above the national average, with many young people trapped in cycles of generational gang activity. 

Old Skool Cafe actively recruits from this community, opening doors to opportunities these young people have never had before. Through employment, robust support networks and mentorship, these young men and women are equipped to break free from harmful cycles and emerge as future leaders and change-makers in their communities. 

An Impactful Partnership
When Teresa met Susanna Choe, local Owner-Operator of Chick-fil-A Serramonte in Daly City, Calif., the two discovered a shared passion for empowering youth. This vision sparked a meaningful partnership between the two restaurants. Together they are creating a character development program that includes dynamic workshops covering servant leadership, innovation and teamwork.  

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Since 2012, Old Skool Cafe has served over 1,000 young people, leaving an immeasurable ripple effect on the lives of youth. Now, as the recipient of the $350,000 grant, Old Skool Cafe will dedicate these funds towards expanding staff training in trauma-informed coaching, enhancing youth job readiness programs and strengthening community partnership to support at-risk youth. 

“Old Skool Cafe’s hands-on violence prevention and mentorship program is transforming lives every day,” said Susanna. “This generous grant from Chick-fil-A will help Old Skool Cafe continue to transform the lives of underserved young people in the Bay Area for years to come.”