Oluwatobi Osobukola-Abubu has been intentional in seeking information about D.C.’s restaurant industry, as she is enthusiastic and passionate about selling Nigerian street food through her D.C.-based business Fritters and Roast.
Osobukola-Abubu’s persistence led to a conversation with fellow restaurant owners earlier this year about a program sponsored by the online food ordering service DoorDash. Launched in 2021, the program, DoorDash Accelerator for Local Restaurants: Live & Local Series, educates and mentors restaurateurs in their formative stages on diversifying revenue streams.
Osobukola-Abubu, 44, jumped at the chance to join the program, which exists in the District and Minneapolis, and became a member of the cohort that started last spring.
“The program targets immigrants who have businesses,” Osobukola-Abubu told The Informer. “I have been trying to get in on DoorDash to deliver food to my customers and participating in this program seems to be a way to get my foot in the company’s door.”
Osobukola-Abubu participated in a graduation program for the cohort on Oct. 28, held at the Provost in Northeast D.C., a fellow restaurant in the cohort. In addition to Fritters and Roast and Provost, other graduates included America’s Best Wings-Falls Church, Buddy’s DC, Cookie Yay, Dogs on the Curb, FD Book Café, Fishscale Inc., Greedy Little Eats, Hedzole, Hill Prince, LaLaLover Catering, Lillian’s Southern Box Catering, Mama Bolz, Open Crumb, Plum Good LLC, Power Source Foods, LLC, Scratch Kitchen & Bistro, Sweet Almond, LLC, Sweet Sosumba Vegan Café, Tabla, The Ministry DC, The Peach Cobbler Factory and Trippy Tacos.
The Cohort and Its Impact
Osobukola-Abubu’s cohort included a diverse array of local restaurant owners with nearly 70% of participants identifying as women and people of color. The graduates are the beneficiaries of five months of business development mentorship, training, workshops, and a $5,000 grant provided by DoorDash.
As part of this year’s partnership with Bridge for Billions — an international organization designed to support local entrepreneurs in the early stages of operation in a sustainable and inclusive way — the Accelerator for Local Restaurants: Live and Local Series also granted graduates access to nearly $40,000 in perks from business tools such as Notion, Stripe, Hubspot and others by becoming a Bridge for Billions alumni.
Darrell Davis, head of the Eastern Public Engagement at DoorDash, said this year’s program was “a huge success.”
“The Accelerator for Local Restaurants: Live and Local Series connects entrepreneurs with the resources, network, and knowledge they need to grow their businesses and diversify revenue streams,” Davis said. “We’d like to thank Bridge for Billions, The Greater Washington Urban League and DMV Black Restaurant Week for coming together to support these incredible entrepreneurs, and we can’t wait to see how graduates will continue to change their communities for the better.”
D.C. Council member Kenyan McDuffie (I-At Large), who chairs the Committee on Economic Development, said the graduation “is a testament to the community spirit that makes D.C. such a special place.”
“The work of these local entrepreneurs are key to building a stronger city for us all to enjoy,” McDuffie said. “I would like to thank DoorDash and their Accelerator for Local Restaurants program for fostering an environment that helps our local businesses thrive.”
Osobukola-Abubu said she will use the $5,000 grant to work on her hibiscus offerings and get the necessary licensing and certification needed to conduct business in the District.
“I need food manufacturing licenses and equipment and to get as many things as possible,” she said.
Chris Robles, owner of Trippy Tacos said he learned through the cohort what he needs to do to bring in more revenue for his business.
“I would have to say the most important thing is the networking,” Robles, 28, said. “I am able to learn from my colleagues and get ideas on how to grow my business from them.”
Like Robles, Princess Dixon, the owner of LaLaLover Catering, said the information she received during the program will help grow her business.
“As an entrepreneur, I want to reach the widest audience possible, and the DoorDash Accelerator provided me with a collaborative environment with the programming and hands-on mentorship needed to elevate my brand to the next level,” Dixon told The Informer.
