Macon Magazine

RIKKI WAITE'S ADVICE for women thinking about opening their own business is simple: Do it! "I'd say do it – but do it for passion and not for money," she said. "Profit will come after love is poured into it with a lot of hard work. People want to go into business to strike it rich, but 'strike it rich' isn't a good plan." If that's her advice, her example includes starting with a low overhead and finding a way to prove your product without taking on heavy debt. Waite also looked to herself and those around her to add her own style at a low cost. It may not work exactly the same for everyone, but she considers it solid advice. "I was lucky enough to profit the first day by starting simple with only a $500 investment at a table at a farmers market and grow from there," she said. "I don't know if my advice for someone wanting to own a restaurant in particular is really advice, but I'd say just know that it's ridiculously hard with all the hours you put in. It's hard, then you have a lot of fun, then it's hard. You have to wear every hat." As to the matter of her gender, heritage and age? "I wouldn't say any of that has caused adversity, but it's funny I still run into people who find it hard to believe I'm the owner," Waite said. "Many think any male employee around is the owner before me. But we have such a diverse group of loyal locals, everyone you could imagine, that I don't think there's any bias against me. I've felt accepted and supported. We're a community – and we have great empanadas." When Waite talks about support, her desire is that women-owned business have the support she's seen but also includes support for all local businesses. After all, the most often seen T-shirt at her restaurant says, "Eat Local." "When people support us, they support our business and the local vendors and artisans we work with as well as the community involvement we have," she said. "I don't dare speak for every woman or person of Latin heritage, but I can say we're all in this together. I'm happy we're a platform for women, farmers, artists, community organizations and others whose names we help get out there, as well as for my grandmother, our family and what has happened here at the restaurant. We still think the sky is the limit, step-by-step." path hasn't been all roses, like the fresh, locally grown ones often on her tables. e transition from farmers market to restaurant almost put her out of business. Originally, she purchased land further off Ga. 247 and got a portable building – a shack, she calls it – to put there as an empanada stand. She said she hit every roadblock, was denied permit after permit and all her plans failed. "I was ready to give up," she said. "A lot of work and hopes and tears ended up going down the drain. But I think there was a reason." At her worst moment, someone offered to buy the shack and she quickly sold it. en, on a particularly bad day, she determined she would get up and find a suitable spot. What she found was the current location, known as the city's oldest commercial building, shuttered for decades and once having the reputation of an infamous dive bar. "We decide to change the atmosphere," Waite said. "anks to so much work and help from my husband, Mark, and family and friends we finally opened without taking on debt. But we did have to scrape up spots of blood-dried carpet and paint over naked women drawn on the walls." Customer Kristina Kendall said you'd never know that now. She and her husband, Joshua, come from Byron to eat at My Grandma's twice a week. "We discovered her at the farmers market and now love this place," she said. "e atmosphere is so open and friendly with bright and cheery Latin decorations – especially for it being what it was. ey've made it a wonderful place to be." Kendall's favorite item? A new dessert called the Funky Monkey empanada. "It's so good," she said. "It's filled with chocolate pudding. Surprising but so, so good." Rikki's TIPS APRIL/MAY 2021 | maconmagazine.com 91

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