Jenny: All right. Let's do this. Episode one. Um so we're here with Rashida from Ramen by Ra.

Ra: Hello, hello.

Jenny: Our dear friend from Ramen by Ra. And we're excited to kick off this conversation for The Build. So just catch us up.

Alex: Should we say like a, so we can we give it like a welcome back to The Build?

Jenny: Oh.

Alex: This is season two where Jenny and Alex, we are here to record. We're hanging out with Ra, the queen of ramen.

Jenny: The Queen of Ramen.

Alex: Ah.

Ra: O.

Jenny: Well, I—

Alex: What else we got? Anything else that we can throw into your, like if you were a boxer, Ra, how would you get announced?

Ra: Well, I will have theme music for one, but you know, we didn’t get it signed off.

Alex: We’ll add that in later.

Jenny: We didn’t get it signed.

Alex: That will be here.

Ra: We didn’t get it signed off.

Jenny: So—

Ra: So um I guess, yeah, we can go with the Queen and the first Black-owned ramen shop in America, I guess, all the things.

Jenny: Are you really the first?

Ra: Yeah.

Jenny: In the entire United States, you’re the first Black-owned ramen shop?

Ra: I mean, yeah, yeah.

Jenny: Yes. Wow.

Ra: Yeah.

Jenny: That’s incredible.

Ra: I mean, we can say world, but yeah.

Ra: That’s one of the things that I would love to come into because I wasn’t doing that when I first opened the first shop, but so many people are like, can you please make sure you say that, it’s huge.

Ra: And I’m like, okay, I guess.

Jenny: So you didn’t shout that out during the first—

Ra: I didn’t shout it out because that’s obvious. And I’m not big on stating the obvious because everybody else can run with that narrative in which they have. And it’s a beautiful thing to read and see. But I’m so driven through community and diversity that it just doesn’t come first.

Ra: And that doesn’t mean that it’s not important. It just means that I am thinking so much more inclusively. Even when it comes to women, it’s about probably a handful or a little bit more — the number is very low too. So if anything, I run with the first New York ramen-driven restaurant because it’s very centered and connected to New York and ramen versus me per se. It’s a passion first, it’s something that I love, but I want people to really understand the inspiration first.

Ra: And when you come meet me, a lot of people are surprised. I love that conversation starter. I feel like it’s a conversation starter when you are overall surprised once you see me.

Alex: We’re here because you’re now working on the second ramen shop by a Black woman in the world, number two, right?

Alex: So give us a little bit of history of like where you’ve been with the ramen shop. I mean, there’s a lot of very interesting history in your bio — including being in fashion, much like we are at Tilit today, and then into food.

Ra: Yeah, exactly.

Alex: But give us a little bit of the wrap-up of like, you opened a ramen shop on the Bowery. Tell us how it went, why we’re here, why we’re doing round two.

Ra: Yeah, in December 2023 I opened Ramen by Ra in the Bowery Market in NoHo and it was basically a space for me to prove a concept overall.

Ra: Prove a concept from the setting, the offering, the menu, the time of day. It was really everything to offer to everyone to see if it would resonate.

Ra: And it truly has. And the reason for the shift to another position or location is to make it more comforting.

Ra: Bowery Market served its purpose. It was open-air, but I wanted something more comfortable for all year round and also something to call my own. But I had to start there first.

Ra: And by starting there first, I could offer people something to see if everyone would understand. You, your friends, your family — everyone’s going to tell you your stuff is good.

Ra: Your stuff is great. But if you can set up shop and treat the offering as a sounding board with New York, you can really iron out the kinks.

Ra: You can just really listen to the real-time person that’s in front of you because it is face-forwarding, and Bowery Market served that purpose.

Ra: Even when people thought that I probably couldn’t hear, I could hear.

Alex: Tell us about the kinks, because I feel like those are always the fun things to hear.

Ra: Oh, the kinks. I mean, number one kink was the setup and how it was just open air.

Alex: The kinks from the first one.

Ra: And it was great in the seasons that were pleasant, right? But here we are in the middle of a heat wave last year, and it wasn’t pleasant.

Ra: It was rough. It was hard. Cars, it was loud, it was everything. So from there on, from June and on, I had to do what I had to do which was stay focused. However, we made a decision earlier — we got to go, because this is not comfortable, it’s not pleasant. People are happy to be here, they’re sweating, they’re eating ramen and they don’t care, right? You have fans, you have an AC, but nothing beats 100 degrees, feels like 115, you know?

Ra: I would serve cold ramen, summer ramen, but those would come as specials.

Ra: And then some people were like, “Oh no, I came here for bacon, egg, and cheese.” So it was like I said — in real time, you’re getting this feedback from your customers and you want to meet them not just halfway, but all the way.

Ra: And the new location has allowed me to create the same intimate setting, but indoors. We’re separate from everything, it’s not too loud.

Ra: You can actually hear the jazz playing. More like home.

Jenny: Set that stage a little bit for our audience who may not be as familiar.

Jenny: So it was part of this market? How many seats did you have? What were your hours? What was the guest experience? And then another piece — were you profitable?

Ra: Yeah, no, it’s okay. I’ll try to wrap it into one thing. It was a counter setting, started it out as five seats, but I noticed how uncomfortable some people were.

Ra: So, hey, boom, I’m taking a seat back. So that’s basically taking money from me. But still, it’s about the experience for the customer.

Ra: So now we’re operating at four seats. The number’s shifting, but it’s not hurting. It’s valuable information for the future.

Jenny: What was the number?

Ra: Um, what was it, another—

Jenny: So you said if you had four seats and it was a counter, how many employees did you have there? Was it just yourself?

Ra: Just myself. Just me, and the seatings were at first 11 to 8 and I would do 45-minute seatings.

Ra: We pivoted up toward 10 to 7 and again, still 45-minute seatings. I played around with 9 to 6, because as you can notice, I’m going up in the morning — this is inspired by Asa ramen.

Ra: Asa ramen is traditionally known in Japan as breakfast or morning ramen. So this is my inspiration with that, mixing it with New York breakfast and brunch offerings.

Ra: Having it play around in the 9 o’clock hour was very fun. The city is quiet. You can see the broth steaming — it was a sense of calm. But it didn’t work for me. I didn’t want to get up that early. So we’re going back to 10 o’clock.

Jenny: So did it work for the guests?

Ra: Yeah.

Jenny: Yes.

Ra: So apparently still had an opportunity to play around with what works best for customers and myself. So 10 o’clock was the sweet spot — and still selling out.

Ra: Here I am serving breakfast ramen and it’s new to people — or it’s something that people have been craving. They’re like, “Finally someone’s open in the morning, I’m hungover or I just want it and you’re open.”

Ra: And as far as the set of four seats now operating early in the morning, closing early is a better work-life balance for me.

Ra: So then I can also pivot to getting some time back to myself and having a life. So with that being said, I’m cooking off of being happy again and not having those gruesome hours.

Ra: Was it something that people had to gravitate towards? Yes. And once they did, they were excited about it. Now, the other part is the people that may not have read that it’s a morning ramen shop, or they’ll show up without a reservation and after hours and be very disappointed.

Ra: However, it says it everywhere — I close at seven. If you come later than that, I’m not open.

Ra: So this second time around, I’m going to push breakfast very hard in marketing and communication, just a soundboard. Because at this point, I don’t want you to be disappointed because it is some killer ramen that I’m serving.

Ra: I want you to walk away understanding, “Oh yes, she is open. She’s just not open at this time,” and you’ll be back. But also make your reservation because that’s valuable.

Ra: I’ll tie this into the profit side of it — it allowed me to order only what I need, prep what I need, control food waste, also labor as it relates to myself.

Ra: So being sustainable is one thing that I wanted to push with opening a smaller shop because I can monitor the numbers and be very efficient. It allowed me not to overbuy, which can happen when you guess what someone will order.

Ra: I can only order and prep what I need, with maybe one or two extra bowls just in case. It created a system for me to profit and have confidence in this because I don’t think I can survive off just opening the door and guessing who’s going to walk in — not in this climate.

Ra: And eggs are a huge part of my menu. And I was like, “Ah no.” So as it relates to the pre-order system through reservations, it really worked.

Ra: Reservations were open for a month at a time. Some people were like, “You’re selling out too fast!” or “I didn’t get the link in time,” but others appreciated that advance notice, whether they were local or traveling.

Ra: It allowed me to actually see a lot of people from around the world — people would plan their vacations around restaurants they wanted to visit.

Ra: When your seat and food are already prepared, you can really sit in the experience and enjoy it.

Ra: As much as it was new to someone, this whole thing is new to everybody, but it’s proven that when you can change a little for the benefit of the customer, it creates comfort.

Ra: You don’t have to wait in a line — you feel more intimate and guaranteed. That’s hospitality.

Jenny: That’s hospitality. So essentially the pre-order system was by design in order to eliminate food waste and control costs to ensure you’re profitable.

Ra: Exactly.

Jenny: The other thing — you mentioned being sustainable in terms of your time and energy and space. Nine to seven are still very long hours.

Ra: Oh, of course.

Alex: We also talked about the team — was this a one-woman show in the beginning?

Ra: It was a one-woman show for me in the beginning, and I had help through my partner when it came down to set up and shut down. But when I speak of “we,” it’s more so about the brand overall, because yes, I am the face, I’m the person you meet in real time, and I’m cooking, but I can’t do all of this by myself.

Ra: The second shop will have someone helping me, but yet again, it’s not this big, massive space that needs people.

Ra: I’m adding one other person who can assist me where needed, and then pivot from that if necessary. We’ll stay true to the intimate setting, but pivot toward on-the-go options.

Alex: And that’s an employee or a business partner?

Ra: Employee.

Alex: Do you have any business or financial partners or is this all you?

Ra: All me and my family and friends at this point. There is a huge Ramen by Ra community.

Ra: Through how we opened the first location — from crowdfunding to now — I’ve really grown through proving this concept. Having banks back me at this point has been all green lights.

Jenny: We’ll get into how you financed it in episode two, so we’ll save that for later because, yeah, that’s money talk.

Ra: Stay tuned.

Jenny: Take us back a little. How did you get into making ramen? Tell us a little about your career journey and how you arrived at this concept.

Ra: Well, like earlier stated, I went from fashion to food, and it was a shift because of the world we were living in then.

Ra: Around 2015 I was working as a stylist at Henri Bendel on Fifth Avenue and was one of the million-dollar sellers. But I started to see the way people shop change — and that was before phones became second nature for shopping.

Ra: I said, “If everyone starts shopping on their phones, they’re just going to cut us out.” So I saved up to cover culinary school and went to the Institute of Culinary Education in Battery Park.

Ra: I paid my way through culinary school, knowing I’d take that shift into the kitchen. I didn’t want to go into the kitchen with that debt, so I paid it off before going full-time.

Ra: I worked under Chef Marcus Samuelsson the longest, and Melba Wilson is another mentor. These individuals from Harlem allowed me to see both male and female perspectives of running a business and being community-driven.

Ra: My very first job was at Duane Park, which is actually on the Bowery — so another full circle moment.

Jenny: Full circle!

Ra: And Marissa, the owner, was such a gem to work under. At the beginning of my career, I needed someone motherly, and she took care of her staff.

Ra: Then I went to the Whitney Museum — short-lived — and quickly to Red Rooster in Harlem, where I was happy to be back in a community-driven space under Marcus’s creativity.

Ra: After Red Rooster, I pivoted toward front of house. That’s where the operational side came in. I became a hospitality manager for The Wing, a co-working space for women.

Jenny: RIP The Wing.

Ra: Right!

Jenny: Did you work with Dani Dillon there?

Ra: Yes, oh we loved Dani.

Jenny: We love Dani!

Ra: Based on all of my experience, they gave me a position that covered back of house, front of house, private events, and retail.

Jenny: Just a little position.

Ra: Talking about loaded — I was like, “Okay, I guess I can do all of this.”

Jenny: The new multi-hyphenate!

Ra: Yes! But I was happy. Then COVID hit — and that was it.

Ra: I was like, damn, I thought I got out. That was a good job. To go from back of house to that was definitely a shift in comfort I needed.

Ra: But that new shift through COVID was probably even more of what I needed — a staleness to figure out life, career, and the future.

Ra: I missed ramen so much during that time, I started reading and watching documentaries about it. I used to eat ramen so much before COVID. When the pandemic hit, I needed to fill that void, so I started making ramen myself.

Ra: I studied broth, the layers of it — and that’s how ramen came through for me during the pandemic. Once chefs started doing pop-ups again, I said, “Okay, I’m going to try my hand at offering this ramen.”

Ra: And it grew. Simple as that. It grew during COVID, then it grew again after.

Ra: It grew through pop-ups, private events, panels — people wanted to stay connected to something comforting.

Ra: A lot of people told me they remembered the little ramen boxes I used to deliver during COVID. My broth really touched them during that time.

Ra: At first it was ramen kits — me and my boyfriend packing and delivering them to people who ordered online. Then we started working out of other chefs’ kitchens on their off days.

Ra: Everyone that was interested kept supporting. It kept growing.

Ra: One of my early hits was a chopped cheese ramen — I made it to pay homage to bodegas and the community. It sold out the same day in a couple of hours.

Ra: Later, I did a collard green pot liquor ramen in Harlem — that sold out too. Then a ramen experience at Duane Park tied to the Cotton Club for Black History Month — another sellout.

Ra: Every level of Ramen by Ra grew organically, where people connected to the stories I was telling through food.

Jenny: Right, so first Al, did you have something you wanted to—

Alex: No, I love this history of how you got started and how ramen organically found its way into your life and career. Just for clarity’s sake — your Bowery Street location closed in March?

Ra: Yeah, the end of March. We shut it down then.

Alex: We're talking now end of July — where are you in the process? Because this is a podcast about opening a restaurant, so you’re not open yet.

Ra: Yeah.

Alex: Give us a little backstory on where you are today and what you’ve done with the new shop to get to where you are.

Ra: Excited about that. We shut down the end of March. I took a break — a hard stop.

Jenny: Like, “I’m tired.”

Alex: Deserved, I’m sure.

Ra: I was beat. I didn’t realize how tired I was until I slept without having to wake up to answer to anyone other than, “Yes, we did shut down.” I took a break, searched for spaces — I knew I wanted to be close in the East Village.

Ra: We looked at three spaces, and the third one came while looking at the second. I was on a phone call and said, “Let’s wrap this up — I think the next one is it.” So we ran to the other one, nine blocks away.

Jenny: Were you working with a broker?

Ra: We were. The broker we started to work with was someone who had read about me in Eater saying I was closing down and said, “When you need a broker, let me know.” He called me back that same day we were looking at the second location and said, “You shut down, you didn’t call me!” So I was like, “Come right over.”

Ra: We ran over — and that was the spot.

Jenny: Can you say where it is?

Ra: East First and First.

Jenny: Yeah, First and First!

Ra: Around the corner from Super Bueno.

Jenny: So it’s on First Street, not the avenue.

Ra: Yes, on First Street between First and Second Avenue.

Jenny: Got it.

Ra: We ran inside, the broker was there. It felt like destiny — he was the first broker I ever talked to when moving from the Bowery Market, and then he called me that day. It took about a month and a half to lock down.

Jenny: How many spaces did you look at total?

Ra: Four total, put offers on three, signed one.

Jenny: That’s not bad.

Ra: Not bad at all. Almost signed the second one, but there was a huge ADA holdup — it was in a basement, steep stairs. It would’ve taken a lot to make compliant, so we ran to the next one.

Jenny: You ran!

Ra: I wanted something affordable for renovations and up to code for the city and DOH. The second one would’ve been too expensive.

Alex: Were the spaces all former restaurants, or were you looking at white boxes?

Ra: They were white boxes — one was a bridal shop, another a psychic place.

Jenny: Oh my god, the East Village psychics are turning over!

Ra: Things were just happening. I was like, maybe this isn’t meant to be — something happened up there.

Jenny: The spirits said, “Get out!”

Ra: Exactly.

Jenny: That’s hilarious.

Ra: We ran — and the next one was East First and First.

Alex: Was that strategic — are you able to avoid venting or gas lines?

Ra: Exactly. Everything I use is induction. The previous spot was a pizza shop, so it already had the bones of a restaurant.

Ra: Some landlords loved our concept but said, “No food,” because they didn’t want to deal with pests. I’d say, “We’re clean! I can show you our monthly cleaning schedule!” but I get it — it’s New York.

Jenny: Even if you don’t have food, there are rodents.

Ra: Right!

Alex: Come on, y’all, this is New York City.

Jenny: Everybody’s got rodents. Sorry!

Ra: There was one really nice place, and the landlord said, “I want your food, but I promised my partner no restaurants.”

Jenny: Wild.

Ra: Yep.

Jenny: Tell us about your space requirements — what was on your wishlist?

Ra: My wishlist was still small but specific: everything indoors, a square shape rather than long and narrow, and natural light.

Ra: I don’t like cooking against a wall — I need sunlight, especially in the morning. My mood goes with the sunrise.

Ra: I wanted the bar setup to face forward, plus wall seating to create a U-shape layout. There’s a big functional window — perfect for takeout and interaction.

Jenny: Like a takeout window, not just a window-window.

Ra: Yes! Some places had sealed windows. One spot, the landlord had painted over the window probably 50 times — couldn’t even open it.

Ra: Being near a train station was also key. We’re right across from the F line, plus CitiBikes. You can get to Ramen by Ra any way you want.

Jenny: Great location.

Alex: Sounds exciting. So you’ve got two months to open — that’s fast.

Jenny: Two months is very fast to build.

Alex: That’s ambitious.

Ra: It is! Renovations are a five-week build-out.

Jenny: Says who?

Ra: It better be.

Alex: Was it a pizza shop right before you took it over?

Ra: Yes, but they stripped it down completely — top and bottom, even the basement storage.

Alex: So what do you have to do — floors, walls, ceilings?

Ra: Everything. Floors, ceilings, doors, windows, arches — it’s going to be a fairytale. We’re taking this pizza shop on a fairytale ride.

Alex: Do you have contractors or is it DIY?

Ra: We have contractors. Finding a team took time — we met with seven groups before landing on one.

Ra: It’s a contractor-design team. The designers are chefs pivoting into restaurant design, partnered with skilled builders.

Ra: They get the restaurant world — the DOH requirements, the measurements, the flow. They’ve been creating renderings and bringing ideas I hadn’t thought of.

Ra: One of them was adding arches — so beautiful and fairytale-esque.

Jenny: It’s very in right now too — arches are having a moment.

Ra: I’m so happy they are, because it’s the feminine side that I’m serious about when it comes to ramen. Most ramen shops are masculine, dark, or anime-driven.

Jenny: Or austere, like the original Momofuku Noodle Bar.

Ra: Exactly. So it was important for me to tell them: I need you to come off feminine. They’re both guys, so I’d say, “Don’t fight me on this.”

Ra: I’m short — don’t put everything too high up! I want to meet people at eye level when I serve.

Ra: They’ve created such a fairytale place — this ramen café look that ties to morning. The bowls, the menu, everything connects to morning and comfort.

Ra: When you see the finished space, it’ll tell the story. It’s thoughtful and warm.

Jenny: We’re so excited. All right — we’ll dive more into it next time and talk about how you’re funding the project, and what’s happening with the build.

Ra: Sweet.

Alex: So many questions.

Jenny: So many questions.

Ra: So many.

Jenny: We can spend hours — and we will.

Ra: And we will.