Africa Business News of Thursday, 2 February 2023

Source: face2faceafrica.com

Nigerian American-born man opens first Black-owned, plant-based vegan chicken wings restaurant in Atlanta

N’namdi Arinze, the founder and owner of Vegan Wangs. Photo credit: Black Business N’namdi Arinze, the founder and owner of Vegan Wangs. Photo credit: Black Business

In recent years, more people are opting for plant-based foods. To tap into this growing market, N’namdi Arinze has opened Atlanta’s first Black-owned, plant-based vegan chicken wings restaurant called Vegan Wangs. The restaurant serves soy-free vegan chicken wings and gluten-free oyster mushroom wings.

Arinze was raised as a vegan and had always wanted to serve the growing vegan community in the United States. He wanted to create a “vegan chicken wing brand that differed from the made-in-China soy-based wings that vegans are moving away from,” Black Business said.

“We’re excited to offer delicious plant-based options that everyone, including meat eaters, can enjoy,” he told Black Business. For now, Vegan Wangs is only available for take-out and delivery in the Atlanta metro area through Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub.

However, it plans to open grocery store chains nationwide and in bulk for restaurants. In addition, Arinze plans to open in other cities, including Brooklyn, New York.

Before venturing into plant-based foods, Arinze, who is of Nigerian origin, founded the clothing brand Personal Advisory. The brand was influenced by Golden Age Hip Hop, Pan Africanism, mid-unisex, and high fashion men’s street style, according to Black News.

The brand started in Atlanta, GA but relocated to Brooklyn in 2017 and is now back in Atlanta. Since its launch, some celebrities have been seen sporting Personal Advisory. They include Spike Lee and Hollywood actors Trevor Jackson and Tobias Truvillion.