Decatur Black Owned-Business Supreme Burger Wins $10K In Business Contest

DECATUR, GA — A Decatur restaurant has been put on a national map after winning Mastercard and Bank of America’s Small Business Impact Awards last month. Husband and wife Waleed and Quiana Shamsid-Deen, co-owners of Supreme Burger, were named the grand prize winners of the Giving Back Award.

“I’m still grinning from ear-to-ear,” Quiana said. “It’s surreal to know our struggle of dealing with this pandemic and being in the space of just trying to survive, but at the same time, being recognized for the work that we are doing in the community.”

On Oct. 28, Mastercard and Bank of America hosted a virtual ceremony honoring businesses across the U.S., like Supreme Burger, for their impact on customers and their communities. Winners placed in four award categories, including Giving Back, Diversity & Inclusion, Innovation, and Sustainability.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Supreme Burger, a gourmet quick-service burger restaurant, took the shutdown as an opportunity to give back, providing over 15,000 meals per week to youth and seniors in their community.

Supreme Burger was presented with a $10,000 check, one year of Platinum Honors tier member benefits in Bank of America Preferred Rewards for Business, resources from Mastercard, access to a small business specialist for one year and more.

More: Decatur Business Makes Oprah's Favorite Things List

Being recognized nationally is what makes this even more “amazing” said Waleed.

“The plight of the small business entrepreneur with the bills, expenses, the food costs going up, payroll taxes, it's like you're in a struggle and no one realizes or recognizes it,” he said. “And then all of a sudden you win from somebody like Bank of America and Mastercard and it’s publicized all over the country. It makes it all worth it.”

Waleed said that winning will help with payroll and marketing.

“Helping with payroll is a big deal in a pandemic when there's a shortage of labor and a shortage of workers,” he said. “We also really want to let the community know that we're still here. We're still active.”

He said at the beginning of the pandemic they lost 50 percent of their sales due to closing for two months.

‘Our Business Is Not About Us’

DeKalb County asked them if they would assist with the Meals on Wheels program. Quiana said they were able to bring back their employees to help drive and deliver for them.

“What we're trying to do is have a footprint in our community,” she said “Our business is not about us.

“Come to us whether you have a record or not. We hire those who otherwise would not get jobs, anywhere else. We want to make an economic impact on the ecosystem of the Black community.”

During COVID last year, they first began serving about 150 meals a week to seniors in the Muslim community and that quickly grew as the need increased. When the schools closed they then turned their restaurant into an emergency distribution site. They soon launched their Halal Meals Program through their nonprofit. In September they took on an additional 160 students from the Mohammed Schools of Atlanta, an Islamic private school system in unincorporated DeKalb County, who needed lunches. What was supposed to be a month-long program has been extended with no end date.

“We have a saying that I say all the time,” Quiana said. “It’s a burger with a purpose or a purchase with a purpose. You’re not just coming here to buy something, you're coming to invest in your community.”

Despite COVID, Quiana and Waleed are still growing the business. They opened up a second location in Mexico and they’ve even created franchising opportunities, opening a location in Charleston, South Carolina last week, Waleed said.

‘We Want To Also Thrive’

Winning the Mastercard and Bank of America’s Small Business Impact Awards will help tremendously, but Quiana said there are too many Black-owned businesses, who don’t have the support of big banks.

“We are completely grateful for that additional income to help us continue to survive, but it's having enough capital to not just survive, we want to also thrive and that has been an issue within the Black community when it comes to black businesses not having enough,” she said.

Access to capital has been a historical obstacle for many Black businesses, Quiana said. She blames the racial wealth gap on systemic racism, but says she’s optimistic that there is progress.

“There's a new climate where I think more people are recognizing and they're understanding the numbers, they see the facts, and they're really getting a true understanding of that impact on Black people economically,” Quiana said. “There are organizations like Bank of America and MasterCard who see that and want to do something about it. And I'm really appreciative of where we're going. We just need more of it.”

Last year, Mastercard announced a multi-million dollar investment in Fearless Fund, a venture capital fund built by women of color for women of color. And in September of 2020 Mastercard pledged $500 million to help close the racial wealth and opportunity gap for Black communities nationally.

“This is a time for action,” said Ajay Banga, chief executive officer at Mastercard in a news release. “We have an obligation as a corporate citizen to ensure the digital economy is enabled for all, an obligation to be part of the positive change Black communities so rightly need now.