Adenah Bayoh, owner of three IHOP restaurants in New Jersey, has announced that she will be providing free take-out breakfast and lunch on weekdays every day until school reopens. As a former child refugee who escaped the civil war in her home country of Liberia, she says that she very much understands the need to empower disadvantaged and low income communities.
Her company, Adenah Bayoh and Companies, owns and manages seven restaurants in total – three IHOP restaurants in Newark, Paterson and Irvington, NJ; three Cornbread restaurants in West Mifflin, Tarentum, and Greensburg, PA; and two more Cornbread restaurants in Maplewood and Newark, NJ.
She comments, “The economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the most vulnerable people in our society. I grew up in communities where I learned that nothing is more important than taking care of each other. No child should go without a meal because schools are closed. No adult should be hungry while navigating the risks of a global pandemic.”
Families in need can pick up pancakes for breakfast Monday through Friday, between 7am and 10am, and sandwiches for lunch between 12noon and 2pm. While this measure is to provide for children who are out of school, any individual who is in need during this crisis is welcome to take advantage of this opportunity.
Adenah is also working with Councilwoman Jamillah Z. Beasley to deliver free meals to seniors in Irvington, NJ.
In addition, although suffering from sales like most restaurant owners during the pandemic, she has guaranteed that all of her employees will be paid, whether or not they are able to work. She is even ensuring that her employees have everything they need including shift adjustments if they have childcare conflicts while school is out.
“Unprecedented times require unprecedented solutions,” added Adenah. “This is a moment for businesses to step up and give back to the communities that support us every day. As business owners we must invest in the safety and security of the places we call home, and ensure that all of our people survive this crisis.”
More than just restaurants
In addition to being a successful restauranteur, Adenah is also a real estate mogul who owns an extensive portfolio of several major residential and commercial urban redevelopment projects across northern New Jersey.
In 2012, she partnered with two other developers to purchase the former Irvington General Hospital site, which had been vacant for nearly a decade, and transformed it into an unprecedented residential and retail community.
To learn more about Adenah Bayoh and her business ventures, visit www.adenahbayoh.com
