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Legacy. That’s the one word that tends to come up most when you talk to the family behind Accra, a Ghanaian restaurant in New York. For 35 years, the restaurant has existed in one form or another. From its early days operating out of an apartment building in Harlem to shutting down and having to rent a flexible commercial kitchen during COVID, the notion of “keeping their father’s legacy strong” has kept this family-run business going.
“The whole family kind of works like an octopus and controls different tentacles of the business, but there’s one head, and that head is my father,” said Mohammed Abdullah Jr., who focuses on the business’ supply chain. The other tentacles that go into running Accra, like managing the Harlem and Bronx locations, social media, and marketing, are divided between his sister, stepmother, and brothers.
Running a business that’s sustained decades and welcomed troves of loyal customers (including actress Lupita Nyong’o) hasn’t been an easy feat. In the face of operational challenges, location changes, and macroeconomic headwinds, this family has banded together to pursue a legacy to foster growth and persevere. How? By keeping five core principles in mind.
Be present
The family behind Accra never takes a day, a dish, or a customer for granted. When their Bronx location had to close due to a gas leak during COVID-19, the community fought for their return, which ultimately led to them renting a kitchen and serving food from a steam table. This reminded them of the value of what they love to do and the people they get to serve.
“Always be present. Always taste your food,” said Ayesha Abdullah, who manages Accra Express. “Customers are coming to pay for something that you’re serving them, and you want to be sure they get the same experience [that you’d want] if you were going to another restaurant and spending money,” she added.
When she samples the food, she analyzes it from the first bite to the aftertaste, asking questions like, “Is this how my dad would like his food to taste? Would he be okay with this sweetness?” Essentially, going above and beyond, asking herself whether or not this is the culinary experience she wants to represent the business and her father’s legacy.
Don’t skimp on quality
Finding ways to stand out in a sea of competitors is top of mind for every restaurant owner. For Accra, this means no shortcuts when it comes to sourcing ingredients. The family makes sure to know every detail about where their ingredients are coming from, and they prioritize getting every ingredient from Ghana so that it truly tastes like home.
“When my mom and other members of our family go to Ghana, they source ingredients and look at them before buying. It’s not just, ‘Oh, I want this, I want smoked fish, I want shrimp.’ No, they go to see their products,” Ayesha Abdullah explained.
Be confident in your offerings
Emphasizing quality means that Accra has deep confidence in the food it sells. In fact, they have so much confidence they make it a point to offer samples to people before they even open their wallets. “When your food is authentic, good, and consistent, and your customer service matches, your customers will continue to come,” said Ayesha Abdullah. “It’s all about how you present [your food and your business]. And one thing that I love to do [that’s representative of that] is give people the opportunity to sample before they buy.”
Keep the momentum going
With a solid foundation built on authentic food, quality customer service, and loyal customers, Accra is always considering new ways to expand its reach — and, sometimes, it’s not always about opening the next location. According to Ayesha , this looks like building out a plan to ship internationally and spread their family legacy far and wide. “We already did the test run, and things freeze well and thaw well. And we want to continue correcting it so we can give customers the freshest possible product.”
Another way they’re looking to expand reach is by venturing into pop-up events to find their next loyal customer — with tools that help them support card payments on the go.
We did an event one time and people were like, ‘We don’t have cash. You have credit?’” And I was like, ‘We need to get [Square],’” Ayesha Abdullah explained. “Now we use Square tools to help us when we do offsite events … being able to just grab and go makes it real simple.”
Ayesha Abdullah → Manager, Accra Express
Always have an emphasis on community
Community is everything to Accra. It was born out of the desire to build a community around West African cuisine, so it only makes sense that the business pours into the community that’s embraced them. One thing they do to maintain this is to make sure no one ever goes hungry.
“There are not a lot of restaurants in Harlem that give food to homeless people or people who are hungry. And so we made sure we had that policy of no one left hungry, especially in our community,” Ayesha Abdullah explained. “So at any given point, someone can walk in and say, ‘Oh, I’m hungry. I don’t have any money.’ You’re going to get food.”
Each of these components is what’s created a 35-year history for Accra. With the family poised to carry the business into the future and the community ready and willing to show up at every step, the business is sure to see another 35 years.
“Thirty-something years later, here we are sitting in an establishment that has served so many leaders from the continent [of Africa]. He’s well known. He’s been given awards throughout the city. His legacy carries on,” Ayesha said proudly.
