Today we’d like to introduce you to Athena Riley.
Hi Athena, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
We met when I studied at the University of Iowa. It was freshman summer, and I was searching for my first job in college. Prince had actually handed me my application, and the next day, the owner ended up hiring me as a server. From there, we dated and moved to Chicago after I graduated, and that’s where I started my journey in corporate, and Prince stayed in hospitality. As the years went on, Prince was promoted to Director of Operations which relocated us to California. During his ten years with the hospitality group, he opened three stores and demonstrated strength and passion in guest experience, dining, and operations.
Our dream has always been to own a restaurant. During the pandemic, we had the opportunity to start a business, so Prince left his job but remains close to his mentors. Our personal life was on fast forward, we got married, purchased our first home, and had a baby. To this day, we’re still in disbelief that we managed to do all of that. I think what motivated us to pursue the restaurant was that we could see a unique opportunity in the market for small business owners like us after the pandemic, and really wanted to be part of the resurgence of hospitality.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has been anything but smooth. Although it’s a huge blessing to have Joyce, there were many trials and tribulations along the way. The most challenging part was fundraising. Having to convince people to invest in a business whose entire industry was shut down definitely made it harder to pitch. The tricky thing about the process is that we couldn’t necessarily pitch anything until we had identified a location because it’s an influential part of the vision. The location provides the value, specs, forecast, and visuals, so while we searched between Orange County and Los Angeles for 2 years, we had to also build an investment pipeline and prepare to strike our pitch.
The most notable memory was when we almost signed for a location in Irvine. We had already invested money into a designer, architect, and tasting event where we pitched the landlord and investors. We were successful with committing a few investors, but unfortunately, at the very last minute, a significant piece of funding had decommitted, and the gap between money secured and money needed was too risky to move forward. The silver lining was that it got us to consider Los Angeles, and that’s how we discovered the space we are in now on 8th and Grand.
We’ve been impressed with Joyce Soul & Sea, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Joyce is a family-owned, family-style restaurant that offers American Southern cuisine. The concept was inspired by Prince’s mother, who grew up in the South and cooked a lot of the traditional Southern dishes. She shares the same middle name as our daughter, which is the namesake of Joyce. The name means “to have and provide joy,” which is exactly what our mission is. In most happy memories, food is usually involved, and it’s always more fun to share that experience with others.
When we designed the restaurant, we wanted the space to feel like a home, inviting and familiar. We brought on LaurenWaters Design to help execute our vision. Her background is primarily residential which we considered a strength. We brought in a lot of different textiles, colors, mixed woods, and brass to give it warmth. A customer once described it as grandma chic, and we couldn’t disagree; others often say it feels like a home, which is the biggest compliment. We appreciate everyone’s interpretation of the space.
One of the first design decisions we made was choosing the wall color which is “Theresa’s Green.” Every decision after that played off of it. We wanted something neutral without being in the family of whites and grays. We felt Theresa’s Green offered versatility and transitioned very well from day to night, and now it’s everywhere in our branding. One of our favorite pieces is the portraits we commissioned from Shannon Scates, a local artist in Los Angeles. They are of Prince’s mother in different eras of her life. She was born in Alabama, raised in Georgia, and moved to Chicago where she gained a lot of her independence and raised Prince as a single mother. We wanted something meaningful that tied together the story but also embodied strength, empowerment, and love as those were also the emotions that we felt when we built Joyce.
We were able to partner up with Chef Sammy Monsour and Beverage Director Kassady Wiggins, who are also married and have a Michelin-level reputation for providing amazing southern food and drinks. What makes the restaurant special is that every piece has been thought out and a labor of love, from the aesthetic, food, and drinks down to the towel dispenser. It is our hope that when people come to Joyce, they can feel that level of intention and attention to detail, and it makes their experience that much more enjoyable.
We are most proud of the people that joined our team and have helped bring our dream to life. They have brought a level of passion and execution to our concept that has exceeded our expectations.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
For us, professional success in our field is being able to provide an experience that we are proud of and making a lasting impact to the community around us. Another big milestone will be paying back the investors who are our close friends and family. We are so grateful that they took a chance on our dream and they’ve not only financially supported us but emotionally as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.Joycela.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joyce_dtla/?hl=en
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/joyce-los-angeles-2
Image Credits
Ziv Sade Group
