A new concept designed to create accessibility to fresh, affordable food is in the works in Atlanta.
Little Loaf is coming this summer to the Sweet Auburn neighborhood. The deli will be located inside a market, serving sandwiches, salads, soups, desserts and more.
“We just want food to be affordable,” founder Jasmine Crowe-Houston told What Now Atlanta. “For a family of four to be fed under 20 dollars, that will be incredible. That’s what we’re building.”
The idea comes from her passion for food affordability and the belief that everyone, regardless of income, should be able to enjoy fresh and delicious meals.
Crowe-Houston is the CEO of Goodr, which she founded in 2017 with the belief that hunger is a problem of logistics, not supply. Crowe-Houston has been an advocate on the subject for years. She was featured on TED Radio Hour to discuss hunger and food waste in 2024, five years after doing a talk on the topic at TEDWomen in 2019.
Goodr tackles food waste and hunger primarily in two days: by partnering with businesses to collect surplus food and redirect it to nonprofits serving food-insecure communities, as well as designing and implementing programs like free grocery stores, pop-up markets and mobile grocery units to provide fresh, high-quality food access directly to families who need it. The organization has opened more than 20 free grocery stores in schools and communities nationwide and provided more than 40 million meals to people in need.
Now, Crowe-Houston is continuing that mission with the upcoming market and deli in Atlanta. The concise menu at Little Loaf will have straightforward pricing. Think $1 ice cream scoops, $2 for a PB&J, $3 for the soup of the day, $5 for a chicken salad sandwich, and $6.75 for a combo.
“Someone getting chips, a pickle, fruit and a sandwich for under seven dollars? That’s unheard of,” Crowe-Houston said.
They plan to do a $2.50 kids meal, a $5 senior meal for people 65 and older, and an $18.99 family meal for a party of four that will include four sandwiches, a family-size pasta salad, four bags of chips and four pieces of whole fruit.
Part of the idea for Little Loaf was the increasing price of food, with a single person often needing to spend up to $15 or more for a single meal at a fast-food restaurant. And for families? That cost is even higher.
“So many people can’t afford that,” Crowe-Houston said. “If you’re four people, you’re spending 40 to 60 dollars going to a fast-food restaurant, and that didn’t used to be the case. Food is not affordable.”
Little Loaf is designed to create a more affordable option, with the deli able to keep the costs down due it being part of a larger concept: The Goodr Market at Edgewood. There will be fresh produce, refrigerated and freezer sections and other provisions. The market is supported by a $330,000 Atlanta Food Access Catalyst grant.
The name “Little Loaf” comes from a conversation Crowe-Houston had with her grandmother.
“One day I was asking her, ‘How did you used to feed 11, 12 kids?’ She said, ‘You’d be surprised what a little loaf of bread can do.’ When I was coming up with the concept, I thought of that conversation.”
Little Loaf will also give visitors the opportunity to give back. Guests will be able to buy a sandwich token for three dollars. They can give that token to someone or put in in the Little Loaf “love jar.” That token represents a sandwich that will be provided to local nonprofits or people experiencing homelessness. If someone comes in with a token, they can redeem it for a sandwich at no cost.
Under construction now, Little Loaf will feature indoor and outdoor seating, with a courtyard, garden and balcony. They are targeting a July 2025 opening.
“We’re trying to get down to the basics and help families,” Crowe-Houston said. “It will be a really good concept. We’re excited.”
