ruth

founder of philly-based west african fast casual Fudena

[ruth @ruthitude]

@mrdespicable22 Shiiiiiet I totally forgot about him. Why’d you dig him up lol

[Management Leadership for Tomorrow @MLTOrg]

#MLTAlum @RuthNakaar aims to create the first chain of fast-casual, West African restaurants! After graduating virtually from @Wharton Ruth started Fudena and has already made an impact on the Philadelphia food scene. Watch her journey. https://t.co/9I7Qu3b9pG

[ruth @ruthitude]

Thank you for the shout out! 💛🙏🏿

[Vick @WaqarVick]

Buy this green meal set that includes a jollof rice #fudenabowl, a green drink, & a tote bag. Portion of sales will go to those who've been targeted by The War on Drugs and who remain incarcerated and/or discriminated against for prior cannabis offenses.

https://t.co/RbaWGRbpwR

[Vick @WaqarVick]

Buy this green meal set that includes a jollof rice #fudenabowl, a green drink, & a tote bag. Portion of sales will go to those who've been targeted by The War on Drugs and who remain incarcerated and/or discriminated against for prior cannabis offenses.

https://t.co/RbaWGRbpwR

[Item 13 Podcast @Item13Podcast]

NEW! ⁠
⁠
@ruthnakaar is the founder and owner of #EatFudena, a food concept currently based in Philadelphia that aims to be America’s first West African fast-casual restaurant chain. Think Chipotle but with the bold flavors of West Africa. ⁠
⁠
Tune in now for her story!

[ruth @ruthitude]

Thank you - so excited! 🙏🏿

[Venture Lab @vntrlab]

⚡️ “#FounderFriday: Ruth Nakaar, Founder & CEO of Fudena” @ruthnakaar shared the origin of Fudena, how @Wharton and @Penn helped her through the journey, and what community means at Fudena.

https://t.co/OVcnlEBeWe

[ruth @ruthitude]

@vntrlab @Wharton Please follow us on IG + if you're in Philly, order a #FUDENABOWL from us!! https://t.co/tMuMwIiPGg

[ruth @ruthitude]

@vntrlab @Wharton and giving me the confidence to believe in myself as a business owner, especially as a black female founder. I couldn't think of a better place to jumpstart Fudena. Love you @Wharton!!! 💛💛💛 [4/4]

[ruth @ruthitude]

@vntrlab It's so important for us to get the "co-sign" from other 1st-gens since they are often our biggest evangelizers. So our target spans both customers. It's been so illuminating to see how our market has unfolded in the world, outside the confines of a @vntrlab bootcamp haha [2/2]

[ruth @ruthitude]

@vntrlab This is a question I remember working through at a VIP workshop last year 😄 Fudena is on a quest to push West African cuisine into the U.S. culinary mainstream, which means that we want to capture those who are completely unfamiliar with West African cuisine. BUT... [1/2]

[ruth @ruthitude]

@vntrlab Community is also about caring for people. Fudena comes from the Dagaare question “fu di naa” meaning “have you eaten?” It’s not only a question though: it's a greeting, a sign that you care that someone has eaten, that someone is content and is not wanting for anything [2/2]

[ruth @ruthitude]

@vntrlab Oooh interesting question! Community is supporting each other, especially the black diaspora. We aim to source a portion of our ingredients from black-owned farms since less than 2% of farms in the U.S. are black-owned. Fudena aims to help change that abysmal statistic [1/]

[ruth @ruthitude]

@vntrlab Hopefully! Unfortunately, there are so many restaurants closing, so it seems counterintuitive, but on the flip side, I think a lot more real estate opportunities will pop up within the next year or so.

[ruth @ruthitude]

@vntrlab With more people being home, the pandemic has accelerated the trend towards a pickup/delivery model, and I don't see that disappearing anytime soon. [2/2]

[ruth @ruthitude]

@vntrlab Since starting out as a ghost kitchen was built into Fudena’s biz model from the beginning, we didn’t really have to change anything, besides adhering to the new COVID food safety guidelines. [1/2]

[ruth @ruthitude]

@tranglanimous @vntrlab @Wharton Jollof is a crowd favorite, which wasn't surprising to me, but our "Waakye is Bae" signature bowl w/ curried goat is quickly growing a fanbase!