Owner
Todd Thompson
Restaurateur
- Discipline
- Owner
- Based in
- Cleveland, Ohio, United States
- Venue
- Kiln · Restaurant
i. Biography
Todd Thompson has built a career around the overlap of dining room read and wine-side precision. In Cleveland hospitality, that means moving between front-of-house judgment and the practical discipline that keeps service steady. As founder of Edgewater Hospitality in Cleveland, United States, and business partner at Kiln in Shaker Heights, Ohio, United States, Thompson brings an operator’s view shaped by both service floors and wine work.
Coming Up
Training at Kent State University gave Todd Thompson the academic base for a career built through service, management, and hospitality operations. Early work as put him close to production and the daily tempo of the trade. From there, the work moved steadily upward, with each role adding another layer of floor sense, team management, and guest-facing discipline. Management at Pier W, then at Parker’s Restaurant, placed Thompson in rooms where timing and consistency matter as much as the menu itself. Service manager at Bluepoint Restaurant in Cleveland, Ohio sharpened that front-of-house focus further, while hospitality management at InterContinental Hotels broadened the frame beyond restaurants into a wider service environment. Today, that accumulation shows up in Edgewater Hospitality and Kiln (since 2024), where the work is less about one room than about how hospitality is organized across rooms.
Where They Are Now
Thompson is the founder of Edgewater Hospitality in Cleveland, United States, and business partner at Kiln in Shaker Heights, Ohio, United States. In practice, those roles put him inside both the structure and the feel of the business: operating systems on one side, guest experience on the other. His background in wine and hospitality gives that work a technical edge, with attention to sequence, pacing, and how a room lands with the people in it.
Signature
Todd's signature dishes include popovers. Popovers suit a cook who values timing, texture, and restraint. They ask for control without ornament, and they reward consistency more than spectacle. As a signature, the dish reflects Thompson’s way of working: attentive, measured, and grounded in the basics that make hospitality hold together.
Profile updated August 2026
FAQ
Asked of Todd
What is Todd Thompson's current role?
As of 2026, Todd Thompson is business partner.
Where did Todd Thompson train or study?
Todd Thompson trained at Kent State University.
What recognition has Todd Thompson received?
James Beard Award semifinalist for best restaurateur (2025).