Based in Greensboro, North Carolina, Lilly’s Kitchen has established itself as a prime destination for southern cuisine. Whether it’s the mouth-watering barbecue chicken or the delectable ribs, the family-owned business serves everything with love.
Specializing in such a wide range styles, why did you decided not to limit yourself solely to southern cuisine?
Jay: The world is diverse, so we want to cater to everyone’s taste by offering a variety of food and cakes.
A lot of restaurants may have good food, but that doesn’t always make for a pleasant dining experience. How do you keep your customers coming back?
Jay: We treat each customer like they are part of our family. We show them genuine love by building long-lasting relationships. We listen to our customers and we remember the small things because they matter most.
Share with us what inspired you to enter food service.
Jay: I was raised in the south and started cooking at a very young age. All of my life I have been around great food and great people. Now, preparing meals for our business takes me back to those times in the kitchen with my grandmother. A few years back my wife and I would go to different restaurants and we said to each other, “We need to open our own restaurant”. That spawned the idea.
Mozzy: My mom, dad, and grandfather inspired me to go into the food service business, I like to serve people.
Khayree: Family, my dad loved to cook, his food brought our family together. So, I would say my dad inspired me, but my mother encouraged me. I love to see the expression on people’s faces when they try our food and our cakes. I feel my cooking has my father’s legacy live on. I see him still giving me the thumbs up!
What would you say was hardest part of starting your business in the south?
Jay: I would say the hardest part of starting a business in the south are the many “soul food” restaurants already established. So, that’s a key reason we could not only stick to southern cuisine.
Mozzy: I would say having to deal with my mom and my dad.
Khayree: I would say the hardest part of starting a business in the south is everyone thinks that they can cook or they want “soul” discounts. Was that answer too real?
Tell us the names of some of your most popular dishes?
The Soul Cake- This is an all in one combo meal. A jumbo cornbread muffin with your choice of mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, or baked macaroni and cheese on top. With a chicken wing or BBQ rib being the centerpiece.
The Lillie Bell- This meal includes your choice of ribs or chicken wings, baked macaroni and cheese, collard greens, and potato salad, with cornbread (This is named after Jay’s grandmother).
The Tez- This meal includes 6 hot wings, and Philly cheesesteak fries (This is named after our nephew Kortez).
The Willie Lilly- This meal includes meatloaf, garlic mashed potatoes and homemade gravy, with mixed vegetables or string beans (This is named after Khayree’s daddy).
Are you looking to expand your brand into other cities like New York or Los Angeles?
Jay: We originally started off in Arizona then moved to North Carolina. We have our sights set on New York. We recently hosted a pop up restaurant in New York and received positive feedback. We also have been invited to go to California, Philadelphia, and back to Georgia.
Do you have an advice for someone looking to get started in your business?
Jay: My advice to anyone would be to stay persistent and perfect your craft. Also, get people outside of your family and friends to taste test and critique your food. You want honest unbiased feedback on your food.
Mozzy: Make sure it’s your passion and it’s your dream and follow it.
Khayree: My advice is for you to be as original as you can be, let your creativity flow, and keep pushing. Not everyone will see your vision and that’s fine, just make sure you see your vision.
With so many people becoming vegan, has it changed your menu selection? What do you offer customers who are making the transition to plant-based meals?
Jay: Honestly, we haven’t run across true vegans, they see our menu and order everything we have on the menu for that day. We see the vegan lifestyle is becoming trendy, so to keep up, we have a few plant-based meals. Including: vegan pot pie, vegan baked macaroni and cheese, and vegan green fried tomato sandwich. We also offer a few plant based health shakes.
