TALLAHASSEE, Fla., April 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pineappétit,
a well-loved food truck here in Tallahassee known for its signature pineapple
bowls and frequent visits to campus events, is set to officially
open its brand new brick-and-mortar site on Thursday, April 22. The grand opening is open to
anyone in Tallahassee interested
in trying Pineappétit's island-inspired dishes. The restaurant will
be open from 11:30 am until 10:00 pm on
Thursday.
Across Florida, this pandemic
has forced many restaurants over the last year — many of which were
already operating on tight margins — to face the possibility of
closing. CBS recently put out an article highlighting new data from
H&R Block that shows Black-owned businesses are taking the
biggest hit. An H&R Block survey found that 53% of Black
business owners saw their revenue drop by half, compared to 37% of
White owners, since the pandemic started. Statistics from The
Federal Reserve Bank of New York
found that Black ownership dropped 41% last year, and they claim it
is the most significant decline among all racial groups during the
pandemic months.
Notwithstanding the pandemic struggles, and the statics working
against him for a black-owned business, Chef Sam Burgess, the owner of Pineappétit, gives all
the credit for his newfound success to his support system of
Tallahassee small business owners
brought together by the pandemic.
"The owners of Smoothie Time and Big Easy Snowballs were two
individuals that really pushed me to do what I'm doing now," says
Chef Sam. "We all started around the same time with our food
trucks. To see them have the success they've had with opening their
brick-and-mortar sites during this time really motivated me and
made me feel like the time was right despite the current
pandemic."
Although the pandemic resulted in an opportunity for Chef Sam to
cater for the Google headquarters in California to be canceled, it brought about
something much more significant than he ever expected; a sense of
community that supports and uplifts one another. Despite the many
hardships the pandemic has caused, Chef Sam is grateful for the
group of like-minded individuals who encouraged him to take a leap
of faith and pursue his desire to expand Pineappétit.
A portion of the proceeds generated on the grand opening will be
donated to the Golden Chance foundation, a local non-profit
dedicated to providing resources and scholarships to individuals
affected by the premature death of a biological parent(s). A cause
near and dear to Chef Sam's heart as the owner of the non-profit,
Michael Jenkins, is his close friend
who suffered the loss of both his parents at a young age.
Chef Sam is excited to finally see his vision come to life and
celebrate with his local community.
Looking for a taste of FUN. FRESH. FOOD? Come on out and try the
island flavors of Pineappétit on April 22!
Contact:
Valerie Esquivel
307869@email4pr.com
786-447-0697
View original content to download
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pineappetit-opens-brick-and-mortar-site-inspired-by-support-from-tallahassee-small-business-community-301272484.html
SOURCE Pineappétit