Tri-State Defender


BUSINESS & ECONOMICS February 3 - 9, 2011


ON OUR WAY TO WEALTHY The Restaurant business


Food for the soul In Memphis, the smell of


ments, Memphis has most of whatever you are looking for in a restaurant. While 1 in 4 restaurants fail


fried chicken and barbeque is way too tempt ing to pass up w i t h o u t partaking of the cui- sine on a regular ba- sis. From f a n c y restaurant chains to mom-and- pop, sin- g l e - u n i t establish-


McCullough Carlee


in the first year, the positive side is that 75 percent survive. But even with the inherent risk of opening a restaurant, we have not retreated from the challenge of fulfilling dreams and filling stomachs. Getting rich quick is hardly ever the case in the restaurant business and as our friend Jerome Rus- sell of H.J. Russell & Compa- ny often says, “Slow and steady wins the race.” This month we’ll focus on


some of the successes we’ve seen and tasted in the Mem- phis market. However, this week we want to touch on a few national successes. Be- cause overall, restaurants may come and go, but some have withstood the test of time and set an example of how it should be done.


civil rights movement, the Paschal brothers were known to serve complimentary meals and extend their hours to pro- vide a central meeting loca- tion for parents and friends greeting loved ones after re- lease from jail. Brothers James and Robert Paschal wanted to serve the “best” fried chicken in the city. They succeeded by creating a secret recipe. Many consider their chicken to be the best served and the secret recipe is still held close to the vest today. Similar to the H.J. Russell


story, their big break was pro- vided as a part ofMayorMay- nard Jackson’s minority par- ticipation requirements on all airport contracts. In 1978, the Paschal brothers entered into a landmark agreement with Dobbs Houses Inc. to form a joint venture titled the Dobbs Paschal Midfield Corpora- tion. The new partnership re- sponded to the bid request for retail concessions develop- ment and management at the new Hartsfield Atlanta Inter- nationalAirport. They submit- ted a successful bid and were awarded a 15-year contract to provide food, beverage and re- tail services. For over six decades, the


Paschal’s Atlanta As active participants in the


Sag Harbor, N.Y. and Wash- ington, D.C. Not only is she the purveyor of these estab- lishments, she also decorated all three restaurants as well. Her cuisine is described as Southern with Asian influ- ences. Smith recently part- nered with Missa Bay Frozen Foods Company to create a line of B. Smith’s foods to be distributed nationally.


The New York Daily News


says, “B. Smith is one of the most importantAfricanAmer- ican style mavens of all time.” Aside from participat- ing in Harvard Business School’s Dynamic Women in Business Conference, she has received numerous awards, in- cluding the Earl Graves Entre- preneurial Award, BET Hon- ors Award for Entrepreneur-


ship, and the Black Enterprise Legacy Award. As a Pennsylvania native,


B. Smith began her career as a fashion model gracing the covers of 15 magazines, in- cluding Mademoiselle, be- coming the first African- American woman on its cover in July 1976. Today she has been either the face or voice of Betty Crocker, Pillsbury,Mer-


cedes-Benz, Colgate Palmo- live products, and Mc- Cormick’s Lawry seasonings. Having developed the first African-American women home collection, which de- buted at Bed Bath & Beyond in the spring of 2001, she brings an element of style to all she does.


Be the Best Whether you strive to own


one unit or franchise 100, make sure you strive to be the


best, perform the best and serve the best. Join us over the next few weeks as we meet some of Memphis’ superstars to discuss mistakes of the trade and how to succeed in the restaurant business.


to Carlee McCullough, Esq., Contract Compliance Officer, City of Memphis-Office of Contract Compliance, 125 N. Main St., Suite 546, Memphis, TN 38103 or


wealthy@tri-statedefend- er.com.)


(Please send your questions


Page 7


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iconic Paschal’s has defied odds and critics to become known as the quintessential purveyor of Southern Cuisine in an upscale atmosphere.With three locations in the airport and one location in downtown Atlanta, Paschal’s has consis- tently been the dining place for the community at large.


restaurant in midtown Man- hattan but has expanded her empire to include locations in


the name B. (Barbara) Smith as not only a personality, but also a lifestyle brand. As a for- mer model, cookbook author, furniture designer, restaurateur and television host, B. Smith has been nicknamed the “black Martha Stewart.” In 1986, Smith opened a


B. Smith’s Consumers know and trust


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