What are some life experiences that led you to where you are now? I got locked up in Chicago in 1989. I was in prison for twelve and a half years but got two degrees while I was there. When I got out, I came to Madison. I knew owning a restaurant was always something I wanted to do. Sometimes people talk about things, but they don’t do them. I’m just thankful that I was able to do some of the things I always wanted to do. What gave you the vision for your restaurant? I wanted to do a drive-thru and create a functioning setup like Wendy’s, Burger King, or McDonald’s.Those restaurants have a formula. I wanted a kids’ menu and everything. If you want to be the best, you have to learn from the best. So that was the conventional structure I was going for. Why did you decide to start a business with your son? My son just got out of jail last year, so I closed the JD’s location in Florida and moved back to Madison. Before he was released, we had always talked about how I wanted him to change his life around and start a restaurant with me. I thought this would be a way for us to grow together as well as individually. What are some goals you are working toward for your restaurant? JD’s Taste of Chicago is in Madison right now, but I intend to expand and do more. I want my next one to be even better than this one. My goal is just to keep making them better and bring something different to these communities. Hopefully, I’m inspiring people, especially of my color, to want to do better with themselves.
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