For almost three a long time now, Derrick McCray has served because the CEO of McCray’s Yard BBQ and Seafood, a Black family-owned restaurant in West Palm Seaside, Florida. His great-uncle, Jay Harvey, opened the restaurant virtually 90 years in the past in 1934. As each CEO and pitmaster, Derrick has labored exhausting to protect the restaurant utilizing his household’s wealthy traditions and flavors which have delighted patrons for many years.
“Uncle Jay introduced my father up within the barbecue enterprise and made him a barbecue extraordinaire,” he informed CNBC. “He was the barbecue man. And he was just about the one black restaurant enterprise in his space throughout that point.”
Within the midst of historic challenges, from segregation to the civil rights motion, the restaurant served as a protected haven for individuals to take pleasure in a great meal and companionship. Over time, the restaurant stood robust towards a number of challenges, even threats from the Klan. However the “battle on medication” in 1971 took a toll on the group and the enterprise.
Derrick stepped as much as restore the household enterprise, following in his father and uncle’s footsteps. However his journey to changing into CEO was not with out twists and turns.
Whereas finding out enterprise administration at Florida A&M College, an HBCU, he was sidetracked by the lifetime of a student-athlete. He needed to depart school sooner than deliberate, however he discovered to hustle throughout this time, promoting hotdogs and even beginning {a magazine} with a pal. He additionally performed skilled soccer however it was a profession reduce brief due to his off-field actions. These setbacks finally led him again to the household BBQ enterprise.
Regardless of the altering occasions, McCray’s Yard BBQ and Seafood continues to prepare dinner with open pit wooden, preserving the genuine flavors handed down by generations. Their signature barbecue sauce and desserts mirror the household’s cherished recipes.
The restaurant’s success is clear, producing $1.58 million in income final yr, with a $230,000 annual internet revenue. They’ve served esteemed friends, together with presidents and musicians, and at occasions just like the Tremendous Bowl.
Furthermore, Derrick has formidable plans for the longer term. He goals to develop the household enterprise nationwide, elevating capital for his first franchise location. However his imaginative and prescient extends past income. He’s keen about hiring and mentoring younger Black and Hispanic individuals, educating them expertise from cooking to working a enterprise, all geared toward creating generational wealth. His two sons are additionally being groomed to proceed the household custom.
“It is in my DNA to maintain transferring ahead,” he stated. “I do not see a purpose why the McCray’s cannot be just like the Rockefellers or the Posts or different large households which have secured generational wealth.”
Be taught extra about McCray’s Yard BBQ and Seafood through its official web site at McCraysBBQ.com
Additionally, you’ll want to comply with the restaurant on Instagram @McCrays_Backyard_BBQ
