Today we’d like to introduce you to Dajuan and Naena White.
Dajuan and Naena, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My wife and I started in the parking lot; the same lot of the building that we now have the restaurant in. My wife had a hair shop in which we still own that is located next door to the restaurant. While the hair shop was open, we started cooking for the customers on the weekend.
As the crowd grew larger, we started cooking not only Saturdays but also Sundays. That’s when we came up with the theme, “Soul Food Sundays”. Soon after that, it just blew up. Every Sunday, my wife and I were out in the parking lot frying chicken and cooking oxtails; we did that for a year straight.
Has it been a smooth road?
Anytime that you decide to start a new business, you are going to be faced with obstacles. We’ve been open over a year and it’s still rough, however, we get better everyday. They say that the restaurant business is one of the worst businesses to get into because of the many challenges. They also say that the one thing a restaurant is good at is going out of business. The thing is, we’re always going to be faced with obstacles, it’s about how you overcome them. When you are handling a person’s food, you have to treat it delicately, people are picky about their food. You want to make sure that everything is fresh, and you also want to make sure that your employees are intact. We pride ourselves in satisfaction. We defeat obstacles and accept all challenges.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
We are a soul food restaurant providing food that makes you feel at home. I make sure that everything is ran smooth; we specialize in experience. My wife handles the inventory, recipes, ingredients, and portions while I handle the finances. We make a great team. We specialize in making people feel good. I’m a jack of all trades master of none. We embrace and welcome all that comes with this business. We are most proud that we opened this restaurant 18 months ago and it’s doing as well as it is. I’m especially proud of us because we struggled in the beginning. From starting on the sidewalk to getting our storefront, we’re proud of it all; especially being able to contribute to our community. We enjoy giving back to the people and serving delicious food. What sets us apart from others is our menu, our soul food. We’re giving you real home-cooked food; not commercialized food. We literally put love in our food; it’s our main ingredient.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I feel like my city is the best for this business because we don’t have anything to eat. Everything that’s here is commercial. People need home-cooked food because old school Grandma’s are gone. The new generation doesn’t cook like we used to so we need something that reminds us of our roots. I would absolutely recommend someone to start off here. I believe you should start off where you feel most comfortable. If you’re from Atlanta, Texas, wherever, you should start off in your hometown. Everything starts from home, and then you expand.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1762 W El Segundo Blvd, Gardena, CA
- Phone: 323-923-8982
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesoulfoodshack/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesoulfoodshack/
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MissTae
December 14, 2019 at 13:04
My Office is right up the street from the restaurant and my co-worker and I eat at the Soul Food Shack when we feel like being, as she says; “fat asses”. LOL! The food is exceptional, and the customer service is EXCELLENT! The portions are huge, you get alot for your money and it is worth it. I have enough to eat for lunch, and there’s leftovers for dinner, and ya’ll know soul food taste even better the day after!
Congratulations DaJuan and Naena! Much love!