Ben’s Chili Bowl is considered one of the District’s most iconic restaurants and tourist attractions, with customers ranging from U.S. presidents to high school students sampling its famed half-smokes and other down-home cuisine.
The co-founder of Ben’s, Virginia Ali, is often referred to as a business icon for keeping the establishment she and her husband, Ben Ali, founded in 1958 in a racially segregated Washington on U Street NW, known historically as “Black Broadway” for its variety of theatres and nightclubs. While Virginia Ali has received widespread praise for her stewardship of Ben’s, her role as the matriarch of the Ali family has not been as well known.
Ali, 91, has not only managed to keep Ben’s together and moving forward, but her efforts have also been replicated by her three sons: Sage, Kamal and Nizam.
“My husband and I did not force our sons to work for the business, they wanted to work here,” Ali told The Informer. “We were very surprised they wanted to work. All three wanted to do this. We were very happy about that.”
The Ali brothers will be among the honorees at The Washington Informer’s 60th Anniversary Gala, which takes place on March 28 at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Northwest.
“We, the Ali family, are humbled and truly grateful to be recognized by the Washington Informer as you celebrate your 60th anniversary,” said Sage Ali, one of his mother’s three sons. “The Informer has been a meaningful staple in the D.C. community for six decades, and we look forward to another 60 years of you sharing stories that might have gone untold in your absence. Thank you for your dedication, service, and integrity.”
Ben and Virginia Ali’s Impact on Their Sons
Ben Ali, Virginia’s husband and co-founder of the company, deliberately marked his influence on his son’s lives.
“All three of my sons’ middle name is ‘Ben,’” the matriarch said. “My husband came from Trinidad and the word ‘Junior’ is not part of the culture. So, he gave them different first names, but Ben is their middle name.”
In the early years of its operation, Ben’s often was open late into the night. Virginia Ali explained how she balanced working the long hours the business required and raising a young family.
“I was a very active lady,” she said. “I did not require eight hours of sleep. Working was the natural thing to do.”
The mother and entrepreneur said she would get up in the morning, fix breakfast for her children, and drive them to school.
After seeing her children to school, she came home to prepare for dinner. Then she left for Ben’s, arriving for the 11 a.m. shift.
“I worked and was able to pick up my kids from school every day,” she said.
Virginia Ali said her children worked for the restaurant “when they were big enough to clean off the table.” She said the children received payment and guidance in setting up a savings account and when the time came, a Social Security account. Plus, the couple encouraged saving for college tuition and for things they wanted.
“I remember Sage wanted a minibike,” Virginia Ali said. “We told him he could have one, but he would have to work for it, we were not going to buy him one.”
The mother said her children had chores to do around the house also. But they were allowed to participate in extracurricular activities.
“Kamal participated in basketball, but Sage was into the martial arts,” she said. “Nizam also participated in basketball.”
Virginia said her three grandchildren have not gotten bit by the Ben bug—yet, that is.
“One of my grandchildren is at Syracuse University, another is enrolled at the Savannah College of Art & Design, and another has a master’s degree in film production,” she said. “The one who is in film production told me ‘Granny, I am not a people person like you.’”
The Ali Sons Pick Up Ben’s Chili Bowl Mantle
Sage Ali, the oldest of Ben and Virginia Ali’s children, said he cannot remember a time when he was not involved in the business.
“I was always in the business from the time I was tall enough to walk,” said Sage Ali, 64. “It has been a cornerstone of my life. When I was home from school or during vacations, I worked at the restaurant.”
After high school, the older brother left the District for several years but said he was still involved in the business remotely. He said his present role includes working on the company’s franchising effort.
“All of us do a lot of things,” he said. “We want to keep that sense of family even as we pursue franchising.”
Franchising and building the company’s retail brand is Kamal Ali’s charge as the point man for operations.
“I focus on business growth and development,” Kamal Ali, 62, said. “We are still tweaking our franchising model. We want to make sure that people who want to franchise for us make money for themselves and pay the franchise fee to us. We are also growing our retail brand with 166 Giants carrying our product and some Costcos.”
Nizam Ali, 54, is an attorney with a law license in Maryland but decided to leave the legal profession in 1998 at the 40th Anniversary of Ben’s.
“Being trained as a lawyer improved my work ethic and the understanding of how the legal system impacts businesses,” he said. “I like working with the family. It is a challenge, a fun challenge. My brothers and I have healthy debates about where the business should go. We want what is the best for the business.”