The Atlanta’s Westside is continuing to bloom with the planned reopening of a historic seafood restaurant.
Bankhead Seafood was a staple along Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway for 50 years. But in January 2018 the owner announced the store’s closing.
It didn’t take long for the Westside community to act. Mike Render, better known as rapper Killer Mike, and Clifford “T.I.” Harris, also a rapper who grew up in the area and now goes by “Tip”, stepped in to save the restaurant.
“We’ve been around the world, we’ve had a lot of fun, but essentially we’re two kids from the Westside,” Render said. “We grew up seeing black ownership in our community, and we felt like if the city was going to develop, we should have some ownership stake.”
They officially purchased the business about a year ago, including the name, trademark and recipes, and hope to reopen around this time next year. Render also promises to reveal “surprises” next month that he said the community will be excited about.
On Thursday, the rappers, along with developer Noel Khalil, hosted a kick-off for the new Bankhead Seafood at Frederick Douglass High School.
They held a food tasting and unveiled the rendering of what the restaurant will look like.
The restaurant will have an expanded menu and rooftop dining.
Information from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution was used in this report.