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I absolutely love seafood, especially snow crabs and crawfish. I remember one day, I ate at a seafood restaurant in Los Angeles and felt like the food overall was missing some southern flavor. Maybe a week or two later, I was in Louisiana and experienced the best seafood of my life. It was so damn good, I had to go twice. While I was there, it had me thinking if my hometown of Houston, Texas, had a seafood establishment that not only had original recipes, but had good drinks and a fun atmosphere.
Meanwhile after visited Louisiana, I met Tonique who is now my business partner and just so happens to be from Louisiana. We shared interest in wanting to do business together and we settled on the idea of opening a seafood restaurant. It’s crazy because I literally had so much going on, like curating content and pursuing my dreams as an actor and comedian, opening a restaurant seemed impossible to do. However, after chopping it up with my accountant plus business manager/owner Natasha and expressing my vision to my friends, I had to literally get laser focused and find ways to make things happen.
From a very young age, it's always been my goal to provide people with great experiences, whether it’s through my comedy, interactions and now my restaurant. I just want to always make people feel good in addition to extending my legacy outside of entertainment.
When dining in at either Krab Queenz Houston, Los Angeles or Atlanta, customers can expect original recipes, authentic southern cuisines, good music, positive vibes, and world-class service.
My advice for fellow social media influencers and anyone looking to expand their brand is to figure out the things that you love in life and find ways to capitalize off them. Also, know your why — that’s really important. Figure out what it is you’re supposed to do in life and what you want out of life and prioritize. Find ways to make your purpose and passion benefit those who are around you. Don’t forget to surround yourself with like-minded people and those who have your best interest at heart. Nevertheless, always have faith and never give up on your dreams. We all have gifts that can be used to help us reach our maximum potential. We must stay prayed up and true to ourselves.
Last thing: nothing worth having comes easy. Great things take time. As long as you keep going at whatever it is, you will soon see results. I can say nothing happens overnight, but with God all things are possible.
With all of that being exclusively said, I am excited to share with Blavity the grand opening of Krab Queenz ATL, which is the third restaurant I have been blessed to open in less than nine months. Not to mention, I’ve been on the road for six months with Tyler Perry as TiTi, starring in the stage-play, Madea’s Farewell.
On Saturday, August 17, we are bringing New Orleans to downtown Atlanta and shutting down historic Peachtree St. with a two-hour parade, Mardi Gras style.
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Kwaylon "Blameitonkway" Rogers is an actor and award-winning comedian who recently added restauranteur to his resume. Krab Queenz Seafood and Daiquiris already has two successful locations in Hollywood and Houston, with Krab Queenz Atlanta opening August 2019.
