After the success of its initial location in Goleta, Kyle’s Kitchen has opened a second restaurant at 791 Chapala St., Santa Barbara (former home of its sister eatery, Silvergreens).
A grand-opening event and ribbon-cutting with Mayor Helene Schneider is planned for 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, May 27. Ribbon-cutting will be at noon.
Inspired by Kyle, a 13-year-old boy with special needs, Kyle’s Kitchen is more than a burger-and-salad restaurant. Customers who eat at Kyle’s Kitchen are helping people with special needs reach their potential.
Each month, Kyle’s teams up with a special-needs organization in the local community and donates a portion of its proceeds.
In the first two years of business, Kyle’s donated more than $100,000 to local special needs organizations such as Special Olympics, Alpha Resource Center, Devereux and 20 more.
“We are so excited to bring Kyle’s to the downtown Santa Barbara community” sid Deena Ferro, Kyle’s mom.
“Our family-friendly restaurant gives us a great opportunity to bring our unique mission and menu to another community close to our hearts. And Kyle now gets to meet and hug a whole new group of people — he will love that for sure,” she said.
In its first year, Kyle’s Kitchen was awarded the Best New Restaurant in Santa Barbara (News-Press) and the Most Innovative Business in Goleta (Goleta Chamber of Commerce).
Kyle’s is a family friendly restaurant with a community vibe. The interior design is similr to that of its Goleta location, with the walls containing artwork from Slingshot, a local art gallery created by special needs adults.
“When we opened Kyle’s Kitchen a little over two years ago in Goleta we didn’t know what to expect,” said Jay Ferro, Kyle’s dad. “We wanted to serve great burgers and salads, and meaningfully give back to our special needs community.
“We had no idea the community would embrace our purpose and mission with such passion. Eat great food, help great people is our motto, proving that giving back to your community really can be good for business,” he said.
Kyle’s Kitchen is open daily from 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m.
— Melissa Fitch for Kyle’s Kitchen.