10 Rappers Who Made Their Mark In The Culinary Industry By Launching Restaurants

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Especially in the era of fast-food chains collaborating with musicians and celebrities owning franchises, rappers dipping their toes into the culinary industry is not unheard of. In fact, there are quite a few artists named after foods themselves — take Salt-N-Peppa, cupcakKe or Ice-T, for example. Everyone more or less has a relationship with cooking, whether through Sunday family dinners or struggle meals during hard times.

Eminem’s concept restaurant, Mom’s Spaghetti, drew inspiration from “Lose Yourself,” which is also the theme song of his semi-biographical movie, 8 Mile. Much like the eatery’s name suggests, its dishes range from simple spaghetti to pasta and meatballs crammed between two pieces of Texas toast. Similarly, Ludacris’ Chicken + Beer picked up cues from his fourth studio effort. Many of its menu items pay homage to his Southern upbringing, such as shrimp and grits, catfish, and collards.

Rap-Up rounded up a list of artists who’ve started their own restaurants. From rapidly expanding chains to newer establishments finding their way, here is a look at the 10 rapper-owned eateries you should know about

1. 2 Chainz’s Esco Restaurant and Tapas

While mostly known for his music, 2 Chainz has also proven himself to be an impressive entrepreneur. The “I’m Different” artist is the genius behind Esco Restaurant and Tapas, which officially began franchising after settling a lawsuit with Pablo Escobar’s family. Starting in 2016 alongside Mychel “Snoop” Dillard, Esco boasts locations in Memphis, Dallas, Columbus and across the state of Georgia. Its menu features an array of dishes, from tapas and seafood to Southern classics like Cajun salmon and collard greens.

During an interview with “Assets Over Liabilities,” 2 Chainz said, “I like to call this more of a vibe or a lounge because although we have great food, we have other things that stimulate you as far as the music, the TVs and the great drinks.”

2. Bun B’s Trill Burgers

In 2023, Bun B expanded his smash burger empire by opening Trill Burgers’ first brick-and-mortar location. The restaurant serves fan favorites like the OG Burger — also available in vegan options — which initially gained fame at various pop-up events. Since its debut in 2021, Trill Burgers has enjoyed widespread popularity, even attracting celebrity supporters such as Drake, DJ Khaled, Ludacris, Busta Rhymes and fellow Texas native Travis Scott.

“When these burgers came into my life, I was like, this is it,” Bun B told REVOLT’s “Drink Champs” back in 2023. “This is what I [have] been waiting for all my life. I haven’t felt anything like this [feeling] since probably Hip Hop, getting married and this.”

3. Eminem’s Mom’s Spaghetti

Inspired by the famed lyric from Eminem’s “Lose Yourself,” a themed Mom’s Spaghetti restaurant opened in 2021. The concept eatery, which initially launched as a pop-up in 2017, arrived in collaboration with the rapper’s team and a local Detroit restaurant group. Its menu offers straightforward, tasty options of spaghetti — either plain, with meatballs or with vegan “rabbit balls” — and s’ghetti sandwiches, all under $15. For those who can’t make it to its brick-and-mortar location in downtown Detroit, Mom’s Spaghetti also sells pasta sauce and other merchandise online.

Lil Baby and restaurateur Chad Dillion, who tragically died in a fatal shooting in July, launched The Seafood Menu Restaurant & Lounge in Atlanta. Though the eatery closed in January, its website shows mouthwatering meals such as fried catfish and several seafood boil options. It also offered an array of seven custom sauces, from Caribbean jerk butter to hot honey and garlic butter.

5. Ludacris’ Chicken + Beer

Ludacris’ fourth album, Chicken – N – Beer, inspired the name of his restaurant roughly 13 years later. Available in two locations, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport, the eatery offers everything from crispy fried chicken and shrimp and grits to side dishes like mac and cheese, dirty rice, and collard greens. Interestingly, it’s not the “My Chick Bad” hitmaker’s first culinary venture. He previously owned a Singaporean restaurant in Atlanta called Straits.

6. Moneybagg Yo’s Cache 42

Opening its doors in April 2023, the first location of Cache 42 launched in Moneybagg Yo’s hometown of Memphis, Tennesse. Marking his first foray into the restaurant business, the eatery offers gourmet dishes such as oxtail egg rolls, lamb lollipops, tomahawk steak, and a surf and turf dish, among others. Daris Leatherwood, who previously served as Lil Wayne’s personal chef, leads its culinary operations.

7. T.I.’s Trap City Cafe

After a lengthy three-year process, and with a few hiccups along the way, T.I. brought his Trap City Cafe to life. Located near the rapper’s Trap Music Museum in Atlanta, the restaurant serves brunch, lunch and dinner with a wide variety of offerings.

“You have streets, business, culture, community, art, and all of these things intersect right here at the Trap City Cafe,” he told ABC 17 News.

8. Quavo’s V12 Restaurant & Sports Bar

Along with co-owners Vinny and Kelan Watson, Quavo opened V12 Restaurant & Sports Bar with the goal of shaking up Atlanta’s dining and sports bar scene. Per its reservations site, the eatery is a “new classic and staple for both locals and tourists alike.” Appetizers include fried popcorn shrimp, lobster bites and spinach dip, while the main courses range from seared salmon and beef short ribs to several chicken dishes. Quavo’s culinary venture also has an expansive list of celebrity supporters: Latto, Megan Thee Stallion, Ari Fletcher and even Lana Del Rey, whom the former Migos member collaborated with on “Tough.”

Regarding his decision to work with Vinny and Kelan, the rapper exclusively shared with REVOLT, “It is organic. They are great partners, and I have always gone to their other spots — like Sovereign Sweets — that they have curated, and I wanted to be involved.”

9. Flavor Flav’s Flav’s Fried Chicken

Flavor Flav teamed up with Iowa restaurateur Nick Cimino to launch Flav’s Fried Chicken in January 2011; however, the eatery shut down only a few months later. Considering that the New York rapper went to culinary school, his background promised great potential, but the undertaking fell short on the business side.

When asked what separated his restaurant from chains like KFC and Church’s Chicken, he said, “The secret of FCC is not within the breading; it’s within the meat. I season my meat first […] If you take the breading off my chicken, you’ll still taste the flavor.”

10. Trick Daddy’s Sunday’s Eatery

Having Sunday meals any day of the week is the name of the game for Trick Daddy’s Sunday’s Eatery. Located in his native Miami, the restaurant boasts a menu that includes a number of Southern-style dishes — mostly notably fried ribs, turkey wings, pork chops and Cornish hen. The rapper also his sides down packed; candied yams, peas and rice, sweet corn, and mac and cheese are among the offerings.

There’s even blue banana pudding, which TikTok food critic Stefan Johnson described as “sweet but not too sweet. It’s creamy, and it’s almost like they soaked the Nilla Wafers with some kind of concoction.”