These Howard University Alumni Went From Starting Their Keith Lee-Approved Restaurant In A College Dorm To Scaling It Across The DC Area

Howard alumni are taking over the restaurant scene in Washington, DC.

In 2012, Denville Myrie Jr. began selling Jamaican jerk chicken from the comfort of his Howard University dorm room, which filled a gap for quality late night foods, according to information on his company website. Students took great interest in Myrie’s cooking, and he would carry on with the food service beyond the campus walls. He was able to hire his peers as delivery drivers when he relocated into a town house, and his employees would serve Howard University six days a week.

Myrie’s vision was also aided by Kadeem Todd, who also attended Howard University and serves as a co-owner in the business, according to Fox 5.

The business, named Jerk at Nite, became so successful, a food truck was purchased in 2014, with jerk oxtail serving as one of its standout menu offerings. Over time, two additional food trucks were purchased with the goal of establishing a storefront for what would become Jerk at Nite.

In 2019, a lease had been secured to house the business on H Street in Washington, DC. Information shared on Instagram states building up the restaurant had its challenges.

“We learned about construction and took a hard process of building ourselves with no bank funding,” the company said in a statement in an Instagram video.

Relying on daily truck sales, the storefront opened in August 2023 with Loic Sany serving as the executive chef.

Jerk at Nite has been successful maintaining two food trucks and scaled to a second storefront at 2149 Queens Chapel Rd NE, which received a stellar review on Aug. 27, 2024, via TikTok from popular food critique Keith Lee.

Jerk At Nite received a $4,000 tip from Lee and decided to use half of it to provide 200 meals to customers, Fox 5 mentions.

The recognition did follow a recent loss of Jerk at Nite’s original storefront, located on H street, which was destroyed in a fire. The business plans to use the other $2,000 from the tip to help repair damages.

“Thank you @keith_lee125 @ron.geezy for supporting local restaurants like us in the DMV showing our team love,” a statement read per the company’s Instagram. “10 years ago we were selling food out of our dorm room at @howard1867 and now we’re here! We recently took a huge loss with our H street location having a fire. @keith_lee125 heard about us being a Howard University and DC community staple so we made sure he tasted our perseverance and passion on every plate. We hope we made DC proud! Big up ya self Keith‼️”

Looking ahead, the founders plan to open a fourth location in Baltimore, MD, that is projected to open in September 2024.