GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The afternoon sun shines through the front door and widows of a restaurant on Madison Avenue, at the corner of Gilbert Street. For now, the dining room is empty, aside from Thomas Walker and his fiancée, who are hard at work preparing this building for its new life.
Either at the end of February or early in March, Walker plans to open a business here. It'll be one of several in what's become somewhat of a small business empire.
"This one makes nine that we have operating throughout the country," Walker said.
Walker's restaurant ownership dates back to 2004, and he's come up with a concept that sets his businesses apart.
"I took all those things I've been cooking over 20 years and I created brands of each one — a burger brand, a wing brand, a fish brand, and collectively put them under one roof and I call it the neighbor food court," he said.
The neighborhood food court coming to 1269 Madison SE will include five brands:
- The Tender Trap
- Whole Wing Willies
- Five Homies Burgers and Fries
- Dippers Chicken and Fish Bites
- Clucking Crust Chicken Pizzas
"You can go into a one-stop shop. Maybe the kids want burgers. Maybe you want to fish. Maybe you want pizza. They'll be right here under the one roof," he said.
Walker says a drink he makes called "Sweet & Ready" has really helped his business take off and achieve its nationwide status.
"When we first started it, it was a comical. People laughed at it. It was like, different. But now it's served at every restaurant in the city, trying to duplicate what we've done. So we took it a step further, and we bottled it, and we've put them into stores and it's doing really well," Walker said.
Walker said he's had his eyes on the new location for a while now, and it's a community where he'd like to see investors help create more opportunities for would-be entrepreneurs.
"There are so many rich people here in Grand Rapids, and there's a disconnect. They run the city and there’s no doubt about it, but at the end of the day for them to connect, they have to connect to the right people." he said.
"I think what can we do first as a community to get bigger, so we can have more people open and restaurants, is just to bring the money to the right people that are going to do the right things with it."
Walker says there is an unfair perception that the southeast side of the city is dangerous, and that moving past that perception will help bridge the gap.
"People have to just stop being fearful and connect with the people in the city. There are good people in the city that want to do business. They just need the opportunity, and they need to be taught the right way to how to do business," he said.
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