Urban League of Greater Atlanta
Black Restaurant Accelerator Success Stories
Supreme Burger
The Shamsid-Deen family has been in the restaurant business for over 40 years. The patriarch, Lawrence ShamsidDeen, founded Supreme Fish Delight (www.SupremeFish.com) in 1980 and was one of the first Black-owned franchisees in America.
Currently, there are 9 Supreme Fish Delight Franchises, 1 Supreme Burger Restaurant in Atlanta, and recently the opening of Supreme Burger Playa in Playa del Carmen.
Due to the pandemic, Supreme Burger suffered from 50% loss in revenue. The majority of our revenue was from in-house dining, carry-out, and catering opportunities through corporations, government buildings, and local school events. Once the pandemic hit, our key source of income declined. Additionally, per the CDC, we had to bring our restaurant up to COVID requirements.
He attend business programs that educated him on the best methods and practices to operate and expand. In 2021, the National Urban League and DoorDash Foundation awarded a grant of $20k. He was also paired with the PROOF Incubator through the Black Restaurant Accelerator, which offered programs and resources for the food-beverage space.
Licensed a franchise and opened in a Shared Kitchen Space in Jacksonville, Florida (They will also have a food truck) Opened our first international location of Supreme Burger in Playa del Carmen, Mexico Secured a 3-year Contract in partnership with Meals of Wheels of Atlanta to deliver meals to DeKalb County Seniors Purchased our corporate office 7500 Sq. Ft. in Decatur (Financing in part by CTB) Added an additional 11 employees totaling 44 between Mexico and Decatur.
Artistic Soul Catering
Antoine founded Artistic Soul Catering in 2015. He developed the passion which sparked his decision to create a unique brand for the masses to experience. As a Navy veteran, he lived abroad and traveled to many different countries. His natural flair and creativity were further inspired by the different cuisines he tasted throughout his travels.
His challenges included solutions related to marketing. Word of mouth and Facebook were initially his primary source of connecting With his clients for years. He was unable to acquire funding outside of bootstrapping. Years of low or no profit put much strain on my business and personal life.
He attend business programs that educated him on the best methods and practices to operate and expand. In 2021, the National Urban League and PepsiCo Foundation awarded ASC a grant through the Black Restaurant Accelerator Program. He was also paired with the PROOF Incubator, which offered programs and resources for in the food beverage space, including consumer-packaged concepts, restaurants, and other food service businesses.
With the information learned from the business incubator and grant from the Black Restaurant Accelerator Program,
he began by purchasing equipment that enhanced our quality of service.
Next, he partnered with his web developer to update and upgrade his website to best market the brand. Lastly, he leased a new space within a commercial kitchen run by Usher's mother; With plans to have a food trailer at some point, this kitchen will also serve as the commissary location.