Shanae

And I said, oh, I don't really know if I want to do that because there's nobody here.

They said, no, it'll be fine.

We'll just put the word out and we'll get people to come and, you know, we'll bring community together.

And I said, oh, I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with that.

They came and they did it anyway.

And sure enough, it shows up and it's on TikTok.

I don't know what TikTok is.

And then I started showing up into these Facebook groups where those 4,000 people were.

The people started to talk.

And sure enough, as they were talking, people started to also come into the restaurant.

The community wasn't really tied together because we're kind of like separated by shores, north and south shore.

And so when I say the south shore that way, I'm pretty sure you kind of understand where I'm going with all of this.

I planted a soul food restaurant in the middle of a sea of pasta, meatballs, and pizza.

The South Shore showed up and they came in in droves and they supported and they told me how much they loved me and I hugged and kissed them.

And then they started to ask me lots of questions.

Well, why did you open this restaurant up and why over here?

I said, well, I'm the eighth generation direct descendant to the first free black man to purchase property on Staten Island in Sandy Grounds.

I figure I owe my ancestors something, so I need to be doing something here on Staten Island.

And they were excited about that.

And that became a part of my marketing strategy, because people's faces and mouths would start to drop every time I said it.