HuSTL Hospitality was born out of friendship, partnership, and a shared vision to make hospitality more meaningful. When CEO Danni Eickenhorst and her husband Marcus “Ike” Eickenhorst partnered with Steve Ewing in 2020 to relaunch Steve’s Hot Dogs, they weren’t just investing in a restaurant—they were investing in a community.
The trio saw an opportunity to do something bigger: create a hospitality group with a purpose-driven foundation and shared support services that could uplift employees, strengthen communities, and change the way the industry works.
From there, HuSTL Hospitality Group was officially formed. Together, they built an operational backbone for their restaurants that includes a shared marketing team, HR, operations support, accounting, and event coordination—all with one big goal: to make St. Louis better for everyone. And it’s working.
In 2024, HuSTL opened four new locations. The company also partners with Shakespeare in the Park, Celebrate Saint Louis, and CITY SC. And HuSTL is building brands as iconic as Ted Drewes and has become a top catering choice for some of the city’s biggest companies, such as Stifel—in addition to being home to St. Louis’ official hot dog, proving HuSTL is synonymous with St. Louis’ food scene.
HuSTL is not only redefining what it means to work in restaurants; it’s also reimagining what hospitality can mean for an entire city. With a mission rooted in equity, empowerment, and community care, this scrappy, heart-driven hospitality group is proving that doing good and doing business can go hand in hand.
And looking ahead to 2026, HuSTL is looking for even more ways to expand and partner with like-minded brands.
Feed the People: Providing Meals and Safe Spaces for Workers
HuSTL’s journey of impact began at the heart of its name: STL. From Day 1, the group’s focus has been on feeding the region in more ways than one. Through its Feed the People initiative at Steve’s Hot Dogs, HuSTL has served more than 11,000 meals to St. Louisans in need, including more than 750 meals provided just last week to survivors of the St. Louis tornado in May 2025.
What started as a need during the pandemic has now evolved into a full-fledged community pipeline. Local nonprofits and social service agencies now partner with HuSTL to request meals, ensuring food gets to the people who need it most. Donations remain active through registers, mobile apps, and the website—keeping the program alive, even as needs rise and funding ebbs.
At the core of HuSTL’s ability to make this kind of impact for others is its own team. Each business under the HuSTL umbrella benefits from shared resources, including a marketing team, operations support, catering services, HR, accounting, and on-call coaching.
This model allows the group to do something rare in the hospitality industry: invest deeply in its employees, not just inside the kitchen but in their futures:
- Health insurance is now available for all managers.
- Paid time off accrues for every employee starting on Day 1.
- Leadership seminars are held monthly to foster internal growth and business literacy.
- Business education and written growth paths ensure that employees at every level can find upward mobility.
HuSTL Hospitality is unapologetically inclusive—a fact that’s as visible in their work environment as it is in their community outreach. Whether it’s supporting PROMO, fundraising for PRIDE STL, or being vocal advocates for the LGBTQ+ community year-round, HuSTL shows up for marginalized voices, loudly and consistently.
Employees benefit from an in-house HR specialist who doubles as a wellness coach and resource coordinator. Meditation, yoga classes, and crisis support are among the programs that have been offered to employees, proving a workplace grounded in psychological safety are all part of the fabric.
Feed the Community: Investing in Neighborhoods that Deserve More
HuSTL believes that when a business sets up shop in a neighborhood, it has a responsibility to leave it better than it found it. That’s not only a philosophy—it’s also a blueprint. From helping launch business alliances to funding mural projects and street festivals, HuSTL has boots on the ground in multiple St. Louis districts:
- South Grand: HuSTL Hospitality has served on the Cultural Alliance committee and continues to promote and support growth in the neighborhood as it continues to bounce back post-pandemic.
- Midtown Alley: Members from HuSTL Hospitality Group helped form the Midtown Alley Business Alliance to help with event programming and the creation of two large murals in the neighborhood. They’re now working to form the Midtown Alley CID to provide long-term, meaningful infrastructure to the area.
- Delmar Maker District: HuSTL has been instrumental in neighborhood development, co-planning the inaugural Delish on Delmar festival, which brought thousands together for music, art, and food—with plans to grow even larger this year. This area was also particularly affected by the May 2025 tornadoes. HuSTL is helping rebuild, raising close to $40,000 already, with a goal of $50,000, with the Build Back the Block Concert.
HuSTL regularly turns its restaurants into fundraising engines for good. From raising more than $2,000 for PRIDE STL when funding was cut to $5,000 for Gelateria in a single weekend after a fire, HuSTL’s response is always the same: “How can we help?”
What started as a bold idea to support restaurants with shared resources has blossomed into a movement—one that’s creating better jobs, stronger neighborhoods, and a more resilient St. Louis.
And they’re just getting started.
This post was created by SLM Partner Studio on behalf of HuSTL Hospitality Group. Learn more or donate to the Feed the People program at hustl.group.
Hear about HuSTL Hospitality’s mission and tornado relief efforts on the Arch Eats podcast.
