Meet John Crowder of Lemon Butter Seafood in Midtown

Today we’d like to introduce you to John Crowder.

John, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Growing up in Atlanta, I’ve always had a love for Seafood. The juicy crab was one of my favorite spots. I would always order the shrimp and snow crab legs with the juicy special sauce. I ate there so much. I ended up trying to own my own franchise. After being denied the opportunity to own a Juicy Crab franchise in 2019 due to discrimination, I found the need to highlight minority disadvantages. I noticed that 90% of the Juicy Crab customers were African American but 100% of all the locations are owned by Asians. After repeatedly reaching out and getting the runaround about putting a franchise in a predominantly black neighborhood, I decided enough was enough. I wanted to create a franchise that was marketable and helped in the community for which the restaurant served. Lemon Butter Seafood is on a mission to serve not only amazing, high-quality seafood but also empower other entrepreneurs to franchise successful businesses no matter what the color of their skin is.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
This project started at the beginning of COVID which was incredibly challenging with lockdowns, business closings and adapting to the new world we live in. It was not a smooth road, but good things never come easy. Lemon butter seafood pushed me way beyond my limits and taught me that with hard work, dedication, and consistency, anything is possible.

Lemon Butter Seafood – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Lemon Butter Seafood is most proud of our mission to give back to our community for which we serve—giving minorities opportunities to franchise and offering menu items that guarantee a free item for the community/homeless.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The proudest moment thus far in my career would be the opening of my 2nd location near the West End. Seeing my business prosper was much-needed validation that my dreams are not only reachable but now I see that I can go even further.

Contact Info:

• Address: Atlanta – Midtown 800 Forrest Street NW Atlanta, GA 30318 Atlanta – West End – 777 Oak St SW Atlanta GA 30310
• Website: www.lemonbutterseafood.com
• Phone: (404) 267-1383
• Email: info@lemonbutterseafood.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/lemonbutterseafood

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