By the time the pandemic hit U.S. soils this year, the 30-year-old founder behind Victory Restaurant and Lounge, Ricardo Young, has focused on making sure everyone has something to eat at during the trying time, with lockdown that has shutdown every business especially some local business owners in the Capital Region.
Young, an African-American serial entrepreneur born and raised in Northwest Washington, D.C. in the Morton St. Projects.
He grew up playing football and school was always important to him. He went on to attend Virginia Tech and UMD on full athletic scholarship. He loved playing football in college, but I was more appreciative to earn the opportunity to have the opportunity to earn three degrees in Business and Finance. His love of football combined with his business background led him to enter the NFL agent business.
His love for helping young men to lay their blueprint for a career in football, made him realised he could impact more lives by shifting his focus to his future business endeavors, this prompted to go into real estate development and quickly became a serial entrepreneur, opening a number of businesses, including Victory Restaurant and Lounge with branches.
The pandemic has been especially tough on the restaurant industry, but volunteers were hard at work at Victory Restaurant and Lounge located in his home state, Washington, Miami, and Bowie, packing thousands of holiday meals during some of the pandemic’s darkest days, with food piling up, for those in need.
Foods were prepared and divided, ready to be distributed throughout the community. It’s all part of the Ricardo Young’s plans and its mission is to do just that. His enterprising spirit is as inspiring as the feats he’s been able to achieve, but giving back has always being part of him.
Following his stint as a college footballer, Ricardo Young stayed in the business of sports and became an NFL agent. His passion for success drove him to become a Real Estate Developer and serial entrepreneur, starting multiple businesses including Refresh, Washington Vape Co. Miami, and Ocean Importz.
Speaking on how he was able to handle his restaurant during the pandemic, he said; “The pandemic did hit everyone hard, and I won’t lie, it certainly did have us our challenges as well.
“In other to continue to thrive under such unusual circumstances we had to stay very agile and pivot frequently. We were constantly changing and adapting our strategy not only to meet state and city limitations, but also to do what we needed to in other to keep our customers and staffs safe.
“I put a team in places that I feel is extremely creative and that helped me a lot. When I have managers and staffs coming to me with new ideas on how we can thrive during a pandemic, it shows just how much my team is invested in making sure we are successful. Working together and being open to trying new things has made a world of difference,” he said.
Young’s biggest goal is to continue to grow his businesses to be able to provide jobs to so many people and bring something new to the community.
“My vision is to continue opening restaurants — Victory Restaurant & Lounge is coming soon in D.C. – and you never know which city I’ll head to next,” he says.
Young is extremely proud to have a black-owned business with a very diverse staff that welcomes such a wide array of customers, and plans to continue to provide customers with places they feel safe and welcome.
It is equally important for Young and hopes to continue to serve as inspiration for the next generation of young, black entrepreneurs. “Whatever the goal or vision, I’m always going to give it 110% and never let anyone outwork me, and I’m excited to see where that takes me and my team,” he concluded.
