ICE raids and ethnic restaurants may be recipe for empty dining rooms
Victor Cruz, owner, (left) and his son Brian Hernandez (right) work at El Acapulco Mariscos Y Comida Mexicana. (Brad Vest/Special to The Daily Memphian)
Memphis’ Summer Avenue is home to many immigrant-owned and -oriented businesses, with restaurants dominating the strip between Mendenhall Road and Highland Street.
A year ago, those restaurants were bustling during the lunch and dinner rushes. Blue-collar workers dominated dining rooms during midday, and families often gathered for meals in the evenings. But much of that traffic has recently died down, according to local business owners who spoke to The Daily Memphian about their concerns.
“This time of year is always slow for restaurants,” said Taylor Owen, who works at Kim Chai Chinese. “But this? This feels different.”
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Ellen Chamberlain
Ellen Chamberlain is a global citizen who is happy to call Memphis her forever home. The Michigan native has worked in media for nearly 25 years as a radio broadcaster, journalist and ghostwriter. As The Daily Memphian’s food and restaurant writer, she gives readers inside perspectives of their favorite restaurants and the people behind them, suggestions for the best bites around town and the latest food news from in and around Shelby County.
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