By Chantel Britton
On Wednesday, Oct. 22, State Senator Jason Esteves enjoyed lunch at Savannah’s TAB Bistro during his tour campaigning for the Georgia governor race. GSBCC President and CEO Moncello Stewart orchestrated the lunch, during which Sen. Esteves spoke with Chef Octavian Anderson and his wife, Shakerra Anderson, about the importance of supporting small and Black-owned businesses.
Over a hot plate featuring TAB Bistro’s world-class wings and their signature sweet potato fries, Sen. Esteves and the Andersons engaged in a fruitful discussion centered around themes of family, entrepreneurship, hard work and community building.
TAB Bistro opened its doors on Waters Avenue three years ago, after the Andersons arrived at a pivotal moment in their lives.
“Alderwoman Linda Wilder Bryan came down to the DoubleTree Hotel where I was [working at the time],” said Chef Octavian. “She came to me and said, ‘your food is good, why not open up a restaurant?’ I went home, talked to my wife and [decided] maybe it’s time to open up a restaurant. I did fine dining. I did country clubs. I did hotels. . . It’s time to do my own thing now.”
As the chef recounted the origin story of their family business, Sen. Esteves brought up the needs that small business owners, particularly those in the hospitality industry face — needs with which he is intimately familiar coming from a food and beverage background himself.
“There’s a lot of work that we need to do for entrepreneurs and restaurant owners across the state,” began Sen. Esteves. “I know staffing is a big issue for restaurants. When it comes to opening your own restaurant, access to capital is a big issue. . . You want to make sure that you have the dollars to do what you need to do, and, at the same time, you want to grow.”
He continued, “Something that I’ve been working on recently . . . is low interest loan funds, so that small business owners and entrepreneurs who want to open up their own business can tap into and receive low interest loans because right now, taking out loans is hard. It’s not like we have parents or grandparents who can just write us a million-dollar check.”
Sen. Esteves noted the disparity between the financial support that the state gives to big corporations like Hyundai and small businesses.
“That’s my commitment. I want to pour into our small businesses, and I want to pour into the community,” he added, recognizing TAB Bistro as a staple in the community and ensuring his dedication to leveling the playing field for small businesses like this one.
“As governor, I’m going to make sure that when it comes to state funding, investments, and resources, that small business owners have the opportunity just like a big corporation would. That means not only having access to the billion-dollar low-interest loan fund, but it also means having access to grants, tax credits and tax cuts,” said Sen. Esteves. “It also means having access to the information that small business owners need to succeed, which is why I’m dedicated to partnering with chambers of commerce, especially Black chambers of commerce across the state to make sure that people have the blueprints, the mentorship and the information that they need to be successful.”
To learn more about gubernatorial candidate Jason Esteves and his platform, visit jasonesteves.com.
