Inspiring Conversations with Brandon Joyner

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Brandon Joyner.

Hi Brandon, I am so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Momma’s Soul Fish & Chicken is a soulfood restaurant based out of St. Louis, MO. My name is Brandon. I’m the owner of a black family-owned restaurant.  

I moved my family down from St. Louis: my father, my mother, and my lady & my three boys. We are mom & pops restaurant that just opened our very own first location in May 2023, and the support has been great growing fast in the valley. My mother and I are the cooks who bring love to the food along with my honey. 

It is our passion to cook and provide great food and bring a different taste to the valley. We started from nothing, cooking out of pots when we first opened a ghost in July 2022 kitchen on Mill Ave and did a lot of catering for ASU, etc. Eight months later, we grew and hit the valley by storm and now have our very first owned brick-and-mortar restaurant. 

Best soul food in the valley, hands down!! Come see us & taste some down-home cooking. I will be opening a 2nd location in Mesa, AZ, in June will be the grand opening. We will have live DJs, Events, Comedy shows etc. 

We all face challenges, but would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s not a smooth road, but I most definitely got through it. We first started out at a bar nightclub. The owner didn’t have anything but a stove. We started cooking out of pots and pans to make our start because I was still trying to save time while I was working an overnight job to make sure everything was paid, etc. 

Then we got our first catering with ASU, and pretty much grew from there. I got a deep fryer four months later because business picked up fast and needed the fryer, so I went in and got one. It was history from there. The owner of the bar I was renting the kitchen out of was getting really upset because he wasn’t selling his liquor, but my food was selling fast. He didn’t like it. 

He came one morning when I had a packed house on Sunday and started blasting rapper music, etc., so everyone got up and started leaving. And I kind of went my own way and started cooking from our home till I found our own location, which I have now that’s in Phoenix, AZ, and the support has been great.!! 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us a bit more about your business.
I started my first company when I was 21 years old and always believed in hard work paying off. My dad was a cab driver. He made sure my brother & I were taken care of since day one he was in our lives. But I was a hard-working young man who learned it all from my dad, watching him take notes. 

I started saving when I was 18, got my first job as a warehouse worker, and moved up to driving forklift lifts and loading trucks overnight. During the daytime, I would go out to cut my yards and do my cleaning before I had to go to my night job. But I love working long story short I worked hard to get where I am. 

Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Long story short, it all started with my dad always wanting a family restaurant. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mommassoul.com
• Facebook: Momma’s Soul Fish & Chicken