While hip-hop mogul Jay-Z (Shawn Carter) abandoned his plans to build a luxury hotel in the heart of New York City after the venture became tangled in litigation, he has moved on to another investment—a Brooklyn chicken wing restaurant. Carter´s own chain, the 40/40 Club has been successful across the country, hitting only a few snags with the closing of a Las Vegas location.
Along with his cousin Jamar White, his sister and his mother, Carter has invested in opening Buffalo Boss (www.buffaloboss.com [3] <http://www.buffaloboss.com/> ). What is different about the restaurant, near Flatbush Avenue Extension, is its menu. The chicken wings aren´t just buffalo style, but made with 100 percent organic chicken with no trans-fat or hormones.
"You have several different soul food restaurants in Brooklyn so by bringing in an organic food chain like Buffalo Boss serving all-organic chicken that is hormone and trans-fat free, it will attract tourists," notes Cassandra Gaines, founder of the National Soul Food Cook-Off competition. "This will lure people into Brooklyn because with this restaurant, Brooklyn will be known for catering to all types of taste buds. Society is teaching us to be health conscience and watch our fat intake. This is another opportunity to promote a specialty restaurant in Brooklyn."
On the menu are such offerings as various types of wings (ranging in price from around $4 to $20) as well as sides (priced $1.50 to $5) and desserts like a deep-fried Twinkie, Sneakers or Oreos ($3).
Even with a great menu and a unique twist on buffalo wings, Carter and partners will have to work to make the restaurant a success, as the industry is known more for eatery failures than successes. "There are a lot of things they can do," says Gaines, "such as give out coupons with the paid receipt to bring customers back in, let diners give their input on the customer service, food, how clean the restaurant is, etc. And if they refer a friend...give them a special discount." And of course, Carter's celebrity status will give the restaurant an advantage. "Anytime you have a big name celebrity attached to a product, it automatically will bring up the sales, especially if that celebrity makes some appearances," notes Gaines.
