Cornbread, a farm-to-table soul food restaurant based in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, has announced that they’ve received $5M in a venture capital investment.
According to New Jersey Business, the financing was led by two Black-owned venture capital firms — New Voices Fund and Trident — to help the business grow. The chain of stores — which already has locations in Maplewood, Newark, and West Mifflin, PA — is looking to expand its stores nationwide.
Owned by Adenah Bayoh and Zadie B. Smith, Cornbread — whose signature dish shares its name — has a menu that includes “soul food” favorites like fried chicken, baked chicken, barbeque ribs, fried catfish, macaroni and cheese, collard greens, candied yams, the regional favorite po’boy sandwich, and more.
“We want our farm-to-table soul food to provide comfort and convenience and to give people a feeling of the family even if they can’t be with their loved ones,” said Smith, the co-founder of the restaurant, to the outlet. “The Cornbread menu reflects the values that I was raised within my hometown of Tifton, Georgia, and I am so grateful to Richelieu Dennis of the New Voices Fund, Eric Taylor of Trident, as well as our team and partners for the opportunity to share and expand these goals. Cornbread’s mission is relevant now more than ever when many of us are isolated and socially distanced from our loved ones. Hopefully, our food can serve as a reminder of brighter days in the future.”
Cornbread initially started out as a New Jersey favorite, but interest in the restaurant spiked exponentially when it opened its Pennsylvania location, which they were able to do thanks to a partnership with Walmart. It’s unclear whether Walmart will play a part in the company’s expansion in the near future, and it is also unclear when other stores will open nationwide.
