It was a surprising end to America’s Next Great Restaurant, but on Sunday evening, show viewers – and the winner himself – heard Soul Daddy was to become the next great fast casual eatery. (Read also, America’s Next Great Restaurant to focus on fast casual.)
Today, three Soul Daddy restaurants opened: in Hollywood, Calif., New York and Minneapolis.
The concept is the brainchild of Detroit resident Jamawn (Jay) Woods, 34. Up until his win, Woods, was working the second shift at a Chrysler's Sterling Heights assembly plant and running a part-time catering business from his home serving chicken and waffles.
Although the show finished taping 10 months ago, Woods and the other two remaining contestants remained in the dark about the winner – only to find out who won at the same time as American audiences.
Soul Daddy launched with a new brand identity and website designed and built by Sequence, a creative development agency based in San Francisco. The company is responsible for building the Chipotle brand design and was asked by show producers to develop the Soul Daddy brand identity, trade-dress and website.
By winning the competition, Woods is being funded to launch and operate the chain by the show’s four judges: Bobby Flay, Steve Ells, Curtis Stone and Lorena Garcia.
The restaurant’s original premise was soul food such as fried chicken and waffles; however, several menu changes were made to reflect a healthier offering of the menu. The more refined concept also has a new tagline: "New Home Cooking."
The design work was conducted on-set as part of the filming of the show's finale, where three Sequence designers were brought in to rebrand each of the show's three finalists before their final test.
