T.I. Enters The Restaurant Business?? This Should Be Interesting…

So…the self-proclaimed King of the South is opening up a new restaurant/lounge in Atlanta. Although, T.I. is a renaissance man and a known hustler, the thought of him venturing into the restaurant business is a surprise to most. But, according to the streets, YES Clifford Harris is ready to become a restauranteur.

Atlanta is a city that is synonymous with its world-renowned chefs and variety of American and international cuisines. The traditional southern dishes are heavily represented as well via long-standing places like the Beautiful, Busy Bee Cafe, Paschal’s, Mary Mac’s and many others. Atlantans and visitors enjoy the city’s plethora of dining spots. No matter what you are craving, you can surely find it here, whether it’s inside or outside of the perimeter.

T.I.’s upscale soul food (?) restaurant will – more than likely – cater to a wide range of patrons off of his celebrity alone. Recent rumblings revealed that the rapper/reality TV star is in the final stages of remodeling Vibe Restaurant & Bar, which is located on 30 Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd, Atlanta, GA 30308.  The building is pretty spacious with a rooftop lounge, 3rd floor bar, private 2nd floor dining quarters, and 1st floor dining area and VIP lounges. It will be interesting to see how he flips the space. Aesthetically, the building is quite nice. T.I. would only need to truly invest in new furniture, paint, and maybe some other minor incidentals.

Last night, he revealed the name of his new spot via Instagram. It will be called 925 Fine Food and Spirits. It’s no secret that “925” is significant with T.I.’s born day, September 25, 1980.

Coming Soon

A photo posted by @troubleman31 on Jan 8, 2015 at 8:42pm PST

Shade, but no shade…what’s scary about this venture is that T.I.’s entering into it with things going against him: his past, his profession (rapper), and stereotypes.  Unfortunately, this is the South. It is still a “good ole boy” environment within the government agencies and Fortune 500 companies that surround T.I.’s “alleged” new spot. Simply put, the place will have a hard time surviving if it is supported by Blacks alone.

But, what concerns me the most is the food, the atmosphere, and the customer service.

Therefore, here are a few questions for T.I….

Will the new spot serve soul food only? – The real question is will it be AUTHENTIC soul food?? It will take an experienced chef to know how to give a luxury spin on soul food. Sweet Georgia Brown restaurant in Washington, D.C. does a great job at this. It would be awesome if T.I.’s spot can pull off the same type of dining experience.

Will it turn into a nightclub after 10PM?  – Frank Ski’s restaurant began this routine and slowly start loosing customers (especially the older customers). Do people even patronize that place anymore?? I don’t hear people talking about it at all.

Will the restaurants’ locale hinder it’s ability to create a diverse (and profitable) customer base? – Ludacris’ old spot on Juniper Street only lasted a few years because of its location. A young black man in the middle of Midtown, which is a heavily LGBT-populated community, that owns an upscale Asian-American restaurant. *side eye* Yeah…we all knew that wasn’t going to pan out for Luda in the long run.  But, maybe T.I.’s revamp of Vibe will turn out to be a very lucrative project. 

Will there be outstanding customer service all-around (from the Valet guy to the waitress)? – Customer service is KEY to any business and especially the restaurant business. If it isn’t on point, most people will patronize the spot one time and never return. 

These are, of course, questions we will all get to answer ourselves when it opens. However, the exact date of its grand opening is unknown at this time.

As a businessman, T.I. has made some great business decisions (i.e. “Family Hustle” TV show, Iggy Azalea) in the past few years. Good for him to add a restaurant/lounge as another achievement on the list. As a fan, though, I just want to make sure he’s all-in on this and not just financially. It’s going to be interesting to see how he juggles overseeing the restaurant, career, and family. That’s a lot to do. Hopefully, he has only the best working on his team. A man is only as good as his team…and that’s the truth!

Anyway…much respect to Tip for even taking the leap into restaurant business. The STACKS Magazine staff can’t wait to check it out!