Beyond the Plate: Race, Gender, and the Sensitive Lives of Small Businesses

In a city like New York, a restaurant is not just a place to eat. It can be a community space, a place where culture comes alive and where people feel welcome. Lola was a small soul food restaurant. It wasn’t just a place to enjoy food; it was a place where the community came together, where memories were made, and where people helped each other stay connected.

When Lola closed its doors, it lost more than food. A space that held deep meaning for many people was gone. The community that this business had created within itself was gone.

Small Businesses and Their Structural Challenges

Small businesses don’t have it easy, especially those run by women or minorities. They don’t just face competition; they face systems that often don’t work in their favor. Zoning and land use laws, liquor licenses, public health inspections, noise regulations, leases, and access to financing are often obstacles that can destroy a small business, no matter how successful it is in practice.

For Lola, every aspect of this system was a constant test. Liquor licenses were complicated and expensive. Inspections weren’t always fair and didn’t favor the business. Leases gave the owner too much power on a month-to-month basis. When a business is small, it doesn’t have many protections and must withstand pressure without the backing of large corporations in New York.

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Race and Gender as Influencing Factors

Lola’s problems weren’t just red tape. The race and gender of the business owner played a significant role. Women-run businesses often don’t receive enough financing from banks or investors. Minority-run businesses face similar obstacles and often pay more for smaller loans.

This isn’t always overt discrimination; it’s often a built-in system that makes these businesses weaker and more vulnerable.

For an owner like Lola, this meant that every day was a battle to keep the business afloat. Maintaining a small space that played a large role in preserving culture, integrity, and community was difficult when the system was turning against her. The constant stress affected not only finances but also the mental health and energy of the team.

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The Cultural Importance of Lola's

Lola’s place wasn’t just about food; it was about memory, identity, and community. Lola kept that tradition alive. Its food, music, and ambiance were comforting not just to the mind, but to the soul.

In a time when many restaurants focus solely on speed and appearance, Lola was a space where people stopped, connected, shared stories, and spent quality time with one another. Lola’s closing showed that the loss of a small business is not just a financial loss; it is a social and cultural loss.

It was a place where people got to know each other, where unspoken conversations happened, and where that opportunity will never exist again in the same way. That place closed with Lola.

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Systems Affect Survival

A business does not fail solely because of mismanagement. Often, it fails because the system fails it. Support should not be symbolic or reduced to words that are forgotten the next day. Urban planners often praise diversity but do not provide real support to preserve it.

Cultural businesses are fragile. They need more flexibility, protection, and support. not more barriers. Race and gender are critical factors. Without fair financial, legal, and bureaucratic reforms, minorities and women will continue to face disproportionate and insurmountable challenges.

Community matters. A small business brings jobs, culture, and identity; its loss affects more than the economy.

I still remember when the pandemic started. Most owners began panicking about not being able to work. I still remember the day I tested positive for COVID, and my whole world collapsed around me. I wasn’t afraid of death. My fear was of going through a pain that didn’t exist in my family and community, of being just another number among the people who died from corona, not someone with a name. Just another dead person from the virus, not someone who fought for what they believed in, for equality and diversity.

After going through that challenge, the pandemic gave more meaning to my life. It taught me how to value my life, how to value the people from my community, and to do things that give meaning to our memories.

Just like my pain, most small businesses experience that pain through daily stress, an unstoppable stress. without support. Their fear is that they will remain only a number and a forgotten name within gastronomy communities. A forgotten name. A place that will never be remembered.

That is their fear. But for this fear, the best and most beautiful vaccine is the support of urban planners, and the support of the community that gave it its name and of which that business was a part. The most delicious tea for small businesses is the support they had at the beginning.

So this was my view outside my plate.