Beyoncé has donated £8,000 ($10,168) to a Nigerian tapas restaurant as part of a million-dollar pledge to bolster black-owned businesses globally.
Chuku’s, which has positioned itself as the world’s first Nigerian tapas restaurant, was selected as one of ten small businesses in London to receive £8,000 in funding from BeyGOOD, the singer’s charitable initiative.
Despite earning many five-star reviews since it opened its doors in early 2020, Chuku’s has weathered numerous challenges; multiple COVID-19 lockdowns and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, to name but a few.
The financial boost from BeyGOOD comes as something of a lifeline for co-owners Emeka and Ifeyinwa Frederick, allowing them to navigate the difficult business landscape more confidently.
“I still can’t quite believe that Beyoncé has backed our restaurant—it feels a bit surreal,” says Ifeyinwa. “We’d already felt her impact when she was in town and concertgoers chose Chuku’s for their pre-gig meal, but this is a whole other level.”
Chuku’s was among 500 London-based businesses that applied for the grant from BeyGOOD’s Black Parade Route Impact fund, making the recognition even more meaningful to the Fredericks.
“Receiving a grant like this is really energizing and can have a positive impact to help you keep going, given the challenges we faced, having opened four-and-a-half weeks before the first lockdown,” says Ifeyinwa.
Emeka, her brother and co-owner, noted the devastating impact of the COVID-19 lockdowns on Chuku’s, saying “we never had an opportunity to build any solid foundations from a financial point of view or a business point of view. We didn’t have time to build a culture. The momentum was really killed.”
The Frederick siblings also shed light on the wider difficulties faced by Chuku’s and other businesses in the aftermath of the pandemic, including supply chain disruptions, escalating running costs, and a nationwide squeeze on disposable income.
Still, this hasn’t been their only effort. Last year, they turned to social media to rally their followers, urging them to book tables to help the restaurant stay afloat. They set a goal of 600 table bookings, and beat it by securing over 800.
Thanks to the successful campaign and the recent grant, the Fredericks now feel a renewed sense of hope.
While they acknowledge that the upcoming months remain precarious, Emeka emphasized that they can now breathe a little easier than last year—at that time, the likelihood of closure loomed large.
The grant was made possible through a $1 million fund created by Beyoncé as part of her Renaissance World Tour, specifically aimed at supporting small businesses affected by economic disparities in the regions she performs.
The multi-hyphenate entertainer formed BeyGOOD in 2013 as a philanthropic fund focused on disaster relief, education, housing, personal and career development, mental health, and more.
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