Birmingham, Alabama: Putting People First

 

By Chanda Temple

Once you’ve been in business for five years, you’d think there would be balloons, a cake and maybe even a DJ to help celebrate your years of success, right?

Not so for Yo Mama’s, the award-winning restaurant in downtown Birmingham. Instead of throwing a party to mark their 5 years in business this week, the mother-daughter team behind the popular eatery, donated their time last Friday night to feed guests staying at the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Alabama.

“We hope this meal brings a little sunshine to your Friday,’’ Yo Mama’s co-owner Crystal Peterson said as she joined her mother and business partner, Denise Peterson, in scooping up hot helpings of spaghetti and chicken Alfredo with sausage for parents and children. “It’s always good to give back. That’s why we are here.’’

Those on the receiving end were people like Pam Hallford from Montgomery, whose 15-year-old son, Josh, was in Birmingham to receive intensive physical therapy at Children’s Hospital. The Ronald McDonald House provides housing for families facing extended stays for their child’s medical care.

“To have these ladies take their time, especially on a Friday night, and give us a good meal, you can tell it’s from their heart and soul. This is a blessing,’’ Hallford said. “When you talk to them, you can tell they love what they do.’’

“And the fact that it’s called Yo Mama’s, it just warms your heart.’’

Denise, 62, and Crystal, 37, are definitely in the heart-warming business. If their food doesn’t convince you, their love for their customers and company will.

On any given weekday, it’s not unusual to see a line of customers stretched from the counter to the front door. Fans are there for the shrimp and grits, bacon-wrapped meatloaf, fried pork chops, greens, macaroni and cheese, red Tropical Splash punch and more. But the most in-demand dish is their chicken and waffles, which features homemade syrup, powdered sugar and guilty pleasure topping options such as peach cobbler or fresh fruit paired with homemade whipped cream. (They serve 50 to 60 chicken and waffle combos on a weekday and about 90 on the Saturdays they serve brunch.)

At Yo Mama’s, they put the customers, employees and community first as well as their faith.
“The formula these women have for a successful business and good food should be bottled,’’ Mayor Randall Woodfin said. “The way they have pursued their interest in running a restaurant and delivering quality products that have remained in demand for the last five years, deserves much praise.”

“I have a goal to make Birmingham a destination location for women-owned and minority-owned businesses by 2021. Yo Mama’s is a good example of what is possible for such companies in the Magic City,’’ Mayor Woodfin said.

After dreaming of running a restaurant for years, Denise finally saw it happen in 2014. They had a soft opening on Nov. 14 and an official opening on Nov. 17, 2014. While she cooked in the kitchen, Crystal ran the front counter. And with the help of other family members, the mother-daughter made the whole concept work.

“When we decided to open Yo Mama’s, we wanted to be the exception,’’ said Denise. “We did not want to have everything that everyone else had. We wanted people to experience a quality meal out and have something families could afford.’’

Crystal said they did a lot of research and talked to various businesses on what it took to run a business well before they opened their doors.

“There’s no secret in why we’ve been in business for five years,’’ Crystal said. “If you put your faith in God, He will lead you in the direction that you need to go.’’

Here are some of their tips on how they’ve run a successful business:

When you open a place, make sure it’s a place that’s needed

“If we had just opened as another wing spot, we would have been just that,” Denise said. “I tried different recipes to determine what my specialty would be. I started practicing and decided that chicken and waffles would be our signature dish.” Yo Mama’s meals are made fresh and most are made from scratch. Ninety percent of the meals are gluten-free.

Stick to what you know

“If we added everything to our menu that people suggested, we would have chitterlings, hog maws, etc. by now. But we don’t. When people see the name, Yo Mama’s, they think all we do is soul food,” Crystal said. “I say it depends on what your soul is. Don’t box us in because we are black. We serve simple food with amazing flavor.”

Research your field and market to determine what customers may want throughout the year

In January and February, for example, Yo Mama’s knows that most people will be health conscious or on the Daniel Fast because of New Year’s resolutions. So, they offer more grilled dishes and vegetable dishes for consumers. It works.

Know your costs

Many think that running a restaurant is easy, but it’s not, Crystal said. Be aware of your budget. Set goals. Know how much meals costs to make; know how much it costs to be in business; determine what type customer service model will work for your brand; make sure that your operating hours will cover your overhead; etc. If you are the owner, still be willing to do the grunt work to make the business work. Don’t get caught up in your title.

Be flexible

You can plan all you want to, but you have to be flexible, Denise said. Know when to bend.

Have faith

Denise has always wanted to run a restaurant, but fear delayed her plans. Finally, one day, she ignored the fear, stepped out on faith and started doing what she was destined to do. When she found the building of her present location, “Faith’’ was written on the wall. She knew that space was meant to house Yo Mama’s. And ever since opening in her first year, Denise has worn a baseball hat with the word, “Faith,’’ to work. “My faith is totally in God and in this business,’’ Denise said.

Everyone is not your customer

Know that not everyone will like what’s on the menu, and that’s OK, said Denise. Don’t get discouraged or disgusted. Your product just may not be for them. (Be sure to do a price check on your prices to make sure you are not pricing yourself out of the market, though.)

Passion will always pave your way

Do what you love to do, and do what you have a heart to do. If you wouldn’t do it for free, you won’t like doing it, Crystal said.

Write down your ideas

One day at 3 a.m., the name, Yo Mama’s, came to Denise. She got up, wrote down the name and then started working on the menu. “When you have done work to make it a viable brand, you run with it,’’ Denise said. (Denise’s daughter, Delisha Peterson, created the company logo and handles the website. Denise’s husband, Jim Peterson, helps with finances.)

Ignore the naysayers

When they were in the building phase of the restaurant, a man walked into the space and told them they would not make it if they did not sell alcohol. (They still don’t sell alcohol to this day, yet they’ve received national attention for their food, have received countless visits from celebrities and have won several area fan favorite contests.)

“If you sit back and reflect on all the negative things that people say, you won’t make it. You will listen to their doubts and they will become your doubts,’’ Crystal said.

Yo Mama’s is located at 2328 Second Ave. North. They are open Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. They are open for Saturday brunch every second and last Saturday of the month from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Their website is yomamasrestaurant.com.  The restaurant number is 205-957-6545.

Yo Mama’s served meals to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Alabama families through a meal program that allows volunteers and restaurants to feed guests. If you are interested in participating in this RMHCA initiative, please visit rmhca.org/meals for more information.

“We are so excited that Yo Mama’s included RMHCA and the guest families in their fifth anniversary celebration,’’ said RMHCA CEO Katherine Estes Billmeier. “They understand that when your child is ill and in the hospital, cooking dinner is the last thing on your mind. We are grateful that Yo Mama’s and our ‘family’ of meal volunteers help ensure guest parents are taken care of so they can focus 100 percent on their seriously ill child.’’