Brad Johnson Is The Only Black Restaurateur In The Room Episode 60

Sep 8, 2020

01:07:08

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Imagine growing up in The Cellar, not a basement, but the upper West Side hotspot that your father, Howard Johnson owned. Picture what it must have been like to be Black Restaurant Royalty, hosting the likes of Muhammad Ali and Bianca Jagger.

Brad Johnson, second generation restaurateur and 40-year restaurant industry veteran, started off washing dishes for his dad, but quickly made a name of his own, opening one star-studded favorite after another, including The Roxbury, Georgia, Post & Beam and Willie Jane.

But what would you do if due to a pandemic and a cultural reckoning, the restaurant industry was experiencing the biggest losses of the century, and Black owned businesses were faring worst of all. Would you cash in your chips and retire from the restaurant game? Or would you select a new venture and put all your money on Black?