Help Bintimani FINALLY open in East Providence!

In 2021 husband and wife family business owners of Bintimani West African Kitchen, Sahr and Baindu Josiah-Faeduwor were evicted during the pandemic's peak, from their mom and pop operation in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood by gentrifying real estate developers ( https://boston.eater.com/2020/9/22/21450757/boston-restaurant-bintimani-facing-eviction-roxbury-covid-19).

 

Through their son, a Brown University graduate and at the time, Masters's in City Planning and MBA candidate at MIT, they were able to secure a potential relocation to Providence, RI, right on main street downtown.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/02/26/metro/evicted-boston-new-west-african-restaurant-is-being-welcomed-providence/

https://ediblerhody.ediblecommunities.com/shop/bintimani-comes-providence

https://boston.eater.com/2021/3/1/22307040/bintimani-roxbury-west-african-food-evicted-moving-to-providence
 

They made substantial strides towards reopening through significant community support, upliftment of their story, and an outpouring of community support. However, with a 700k cost of renovations, etc., to get the space from a "white box," aka an empty shell, to a fully fitted restaurant, they ultimately could not raise the total amount, and the prospect of their reopening began to look rather bleak.

 

After a year of catering, fundraising, and giving hope, in their moments of contemplated defeat, an unexpected opporutnity arose that allowed the family to pivot, and set its sights on an August 2022 opening date, at a turnkey restaurant in East Providence, recently renovated and fully operational, thus bringing the total needed funds from 700K to 12K, the cost of first and last month's rent plus the security deposit!

 

Now the family is seeking to raise those funds ASAP, and secure an August opening day, and confirm their efforts, their sacrifice, and the community-raised hope for their successful outcome, were all not for naught.