A vegan soul food bakery and restaurant is coming to the former location of Bird Kitchen and Cocktails in Mount Rainier.
After a successful launch at Tastemakers food hall in Brookland, Dodah’s Kitchen Cafe will move into the space at 3801 34th St. on the roundabout in the middle of town.
The cafe features menu items like a vegan macaroni and cheese made with soy milk and nutritional yeast, lasagna and meatless meatloaf and desserts like a vegan cheesecake made with organic tofu and various cookies and cakes.
You can already buy Dodah’s desserts up the street at the Glut co-op grocery and at Mom’s and Yes! Organic Market.
The cafe was started by area residents Janice Cheaver, Edwin Lottie and Gary Feld, with recipes based on Cheaver’s upbringing in Florida and her faith as an African Hebrew Israelite, a religious sect that is vegan, encourages raw and sugar-free food and discourages alcohol and caffeine consumption.
Dodah’s — named for Cheaver’s nickname, which is aunt in Hebrew — will not be the only vegan soul food eatery in Mount Rainier, either. Sweet and Natural is just up the street.
This seems like such a silly addition. Sweet and natural has this market covered in mount rainier. I don’t get it at all.
Why is it silly to have options? Everyone does not want to go to one place. Choices are good.
Why? Because the city of mount rainier hasn’t been able to successfully sustain one restaurant, now they’re about to have three, which will serve the same type of food for the most part. It isn’t a very walkable city and parking options are scarce, making these establishments really difficult to thrive there and so far it hasn’t gone well.
Also, it isn’t silly to have options, but there are reasons why most chain restaurants do studies before choosing locations. Sweet green for example won’t put in a location if another successful salad place is within X amount of distance. It’s just silly business to think two of the same type of restaurant within a block of each other won’t just take away each other’s business, being detrimental to both in the end.
There’s always the good, the bad & Ugly:( There’s always a reason why people do what they do:) why she choose that location! Because from my opinion it’s a ? different taste & yummy food!
honestly MR is not the glue that binds many of the businesses here, at least on 34th st. You have 3 Barber shops, you have at least 3 hair salons, at least 3 or 4 retail sets, I keep hearing people say can MR support these entrepreneurs, well MR” supports who they like:) But believe me 80% of the money ? that comes in to MR comes from everywhere else. NOT MR! Even though they don’t realize how much we support this city, with our taxes, our charm, our soul & our community that we bring here! Many of our businesses share our customers even with businesses that don’t share with us! Most of these BO know their market & Customer base. Build it & they will come, There are many reasons why businesses choose MR. (Just ASK) The number one points which is never MADE is to thank any business that choose to come to MR, with all the drama & city government going ons. The city suppose to want to support the businesses I find a great divide. The help we all WANT does not come, so it’s totally up to the business owners to invest so much of their profits into advertising, we have a struggling business association therefore you cannot count on it! (I am a long time member & I totally understand why, $$$. Is always the root. If we had more more then we can have that director or administrative person we need that can dedicate 100 of the time to our association, But that’s not the case. We need grants & etc. just remember every business in mount rainier is supported by the black community. Bottom line. We were all born at night but not last NIGHT, We see and know what’s going on around us.
@Ruby Two of the same restaurants close to each other depends on demand. You have to think of supply and demand, not just homogeneous products. There’s obviously a demand for pizza and Asian food in College Park because you see three Asian food restaurants on the same block. How much Ramen and bubble tea can one person eat in a week?
If there is a demand for Vegan food in Mount Rainier, the three restaurants will do just fine. Will they make a killing? Probably not. And the one with the best food and customer service should win out. But right now, the new restaurant obviously sees lack of supply to meet demand. If they can differentiate their Vegan products with quality and good service, they will do fine.
We’d like to have a organic vegan restaurant in Bowie, Waldorf, Fort Washington, Glendale, etc.
different city Chicago, little parking but there are bus stops.
I’m referring to Soul Vegetarian Restaurant owned by an Hebrew Israelite group and is located in our ” hood” this take out /sit in restaurant combo business stays busy and has for at least twenty years. As an accompaniment they serve the best vegan ice cream & bakery goods…plus smoothies and fresh veggie juice…yum yum.
Many people call ahead of time order their lunches & dinners and dash home or back to work.
Sooo…there is a business format in place and great recipes…please embrace and support them.
As a long-vegan & resident of Mt, Rainier, I am soooo happy for this addition. And, NO, it is definitely not market saturation. Perhaps having more than one option will force other vegan restaurants to upgrade their product. One restaurant definitely does not have the vegan food market covered. Best of luck, Dodah!