FSR May 2023

KANDI BURRUSS

utes from Harts eld-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, while the other is in State Farm Arena. Burruss credits a lot of Old Lady Gang’s success to Tucker’s experience as a television producer and production manager. She approaches the restaurant with a more unrestrained attitude. But Tucker has always held rm, noting that Old Lady Gang must remain within its budget. It’s to the point where friends now ask for his advice on sustaining their businesses. "If it wasn't for Todd's expertise and budget, we would've gone out of busi ness a long time ago, and it's not because we don't make the money," Burruss says. "A lot of restaurants out there are mak ing lots of money, but it's all in how you spend your money and food costs and labor." Tucker also doubled as the decora tor. He describes Old Lady Gang as hav ing a rustic, Southern, and homey feel. e restaurant features wood, exposed

brick, subway tiles, and lights powered by Edison bulbs. e goal was to repli cate what he felt at those Sunday gath erings. But Tucker says there’s a "cool lit tle chic feel" inside the store as well. It’s visited by families and celebrities alike, such as Will Ferrell, Whoopi Goldberg, and Beyonce’s mother, Tina Knowles. During the summer, when the weather permits, Old Lady Gang hosts Friday Night Live where the restaurant will have a live band and DJ outside on the patio. Customers even order from a separate outdoor menu. "It's like a party," Burruss says. "Peo ple love it. ey are disappointed when the weather is bad." e next invention was Blaze Steak & Seafood, named after their daugh ter. e brand was placed in Southwest Atlanta—a predominantly African American community where the cou ple lives—to give the area the higher class restaurant it sorely needed. Tucker says Blaze is "a little more sleek" than

Old Lady Gang, with a "steakhouse dim feeling." ere are re pits, artwork, and vibrant colors. In addition to the brick and-mortar locations, Blaze serves as a co-brand with Old Lady Gang in State Farm Arena. Tucker explains that it’s mid-level dining, similar to Houston’s, an upscale chain within the Hillstone Restaurant Group that specializes in New Ameri can fare. "You can get your ‘grown man on’ in there," Tucker says with a chuckle. "You throw your little out t on, dress up, and have a good night out." Burruss and Tucker entered the plan with con dence, but the pandemic sobered them rather quickly. In this case, the duo didn’t purchase the building, and according to the lease, there were only so many months until they had to pay. So Blaze opened in November 2020, during a COVID acceleration. e restaurant received support from the community, but it also felt the full

KANDI BURRUSS'S HUSBAND, TODD TUCKER (LEFT), DESCRIBES OLD LADY GANG AS HAVING A RUSTIC, SOUTHERN, AND HOMEY VIBE, WHILE BLAZE IS "A LITTLE MORE SLEEK" WITH "A STEAKHOUSE DIM-FEELING."

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FSRMAGAZINE.COM

MAY 2023