Restaurant Owner Leticia “Skai” Young has been to many places but she’s Harlem’s own. Born and raised in the borough that’s been home to storytellers ranging from Langston Hughes to Bob Dylan, Leticia Young (@skai_boss) and her husband Chef Raymond Mohan (@chefraymondzmohan) tell tales through food at their restaurant, LoLo’s Seafood Shack.
Pulling from Leticia and Raymond’s well-traveled background, LoLo’s mergers flavors from all over the world.
“We’ve put a lot of time and energy into making it feel transportive,” Leticia shares on the Restaurant Influencers podcast, sponsored by Toast (@toasttab).
CHAPTERS:
[01:24] – Born and Raised in Harlem
[02:50] – Opening a Restaurant
[07:36] – Switching to Toast POS
[12:29] – Learning From Others
[18:18] – Expansion Plans
Leticia Skai Young is a Restaurant Influencer —
For many of the Harlemites who visit LoLo’s Seafood Shack, it’s not just a local culinary experience, it’s an escape without catching a flight.
“80 percent of people were dining in because we had created this whole experience,” shares Leticia Skai Young on this episode of Restaurant Influencers, hosted by Shawn Walchef of https://calibbq.media. “You’re right here in Harlem, but you don’t even feel like you’re in the middle of New York City.”
Sadly because of COVID, Leticia has seen her business fluctuate to less dining in and more third-party delivery. On top of that, getting the word out online is even more difficult as many social media platforms rely on a pay-to-play approach to posting to get real reach and engagement.
Over the course of the pandemic, fees for delivery platforms and soaring costs for seafood have made staying afloat in the last year more challenging than ever. Still, Leticia gave back.
“At the height of the pandemic, we were working with the World Central Kitchen by feeding hundreds of people per day and delivering the meals ourselves,” Leticia recalls.
However, thanks to the vaccine more Harlem locals are returning to LoLo’s to dine-in. Additionally, Leticia credits switching to the Toast POS system as a way to capture more native business. She is also making an effort to get more direct orders through her own website for better margins on online orders.
Despite the ups and downs that come with surviving in the restaurant space, Leticia is continuing to grow her business and give back.
“We serve thousands of meals to seniors and to people who are food insecure in the neighborhood," Leticia shares. "We’re still continuing that work and on 9/11 we actually delivered and made 500 meals for our local precinct here in Harlem.”
In good times and bad, Harlem remains at the heart of the getaway restaurant. Aside from serving her community through food donations, Leticia looks out for locals by giving them an introduction to the industry that’s become her lifeblood.
“We give a lot of young people their first job,” beams Leticia Young when talking about hiring at LoLo’s Seafood Shack. “It’s great. I’ve been lucky to see people graduate and go through the whole cycle of college, changing their majors and getting jobs in hospitality just because of their experience working here. Or they go on and become chefs in other restaurants. I’m super proud of that.”
So, what’s next for Leticia Young and the LoLo’s brand?
“We’re opening up LoLo’s Tacos,” Leticia says with a smile in the interview with Restaurant Influencers host Shawn Walchef (@shawnpwalchef) from her Harlem restaurant’s patio. “It’s going to be where the Yucatan meets the Caribbean. My family is from Belize, so we’re going to get great Belizean food there. That should be open around Halloween.”
Rooted in Harlem while offering a look into the world at large, Leticia Young and her husband Raymond are changing the world through food. You don’t have to leave Harlem to get it, but you might get the travel bug from your first bite.
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WHAT DID YOU LEARN from this interview? Let us know in the comments! https://restaurantinfluencers.media
EPISODE LINKS:
• LoLo’s Seafood Shack – https://lolosseafoodshack.com
• LoLo’s on Yelp – https://www.yelp.com/biz/lolos-seafood-shack-new-york
• LoLo’s on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lolosseafoodshack
ABOUT RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS:
Are you SICK and TIRED of scrolling through your social media feeds and not seeing your business anywhere?
Welcome to the Restaurant Influencers podcast series, sponsored by Toast (@toasttab).
Every week host Shawn P. Walchef (@shawnpwalchef) talks with leaders in restaurant and hospitality about their secrets to Smartphone Storytelling and how to show up and engage where customers are spending time online.
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SPONSORED BY TOAST:
Restaurant Influencers is brought to you by Toast, the powerful restaurant point of sale and management system that helps restaurants improve operations, increase sales and create a better guest experience.
Toast — Powering Successful Restaurants
Learn more at pos.toasttab.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qpy6Tnik0Pw
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