Ethnic restaurants and grocery stores can found on streets across Syracuse, which is no surprise considering there’s a community of entrepreneurs from across the world that have built successful businesses here.

The city has opened its doors to refugees for many years, and, naturally, they have become a sizable part of the economy. With more than 10,000 refugees from Burma, Bhutan, Somalia and other countries, there is a vibrant and active community of entrepreneurs in Syracuse.

The steady growth of refugees has slowly reshaped the local business landscape and fueled job growth. The North Side of Syracuse is widely known for its ethnic grocery stores and restaurants. A map from My Lucky Tummy, a group that organizes pop-up events for ethnic food in Syracuse, shows more than 20 ethnic food markets in the Northside alone.

Most recently, Syracuse welcomed its first Afghan restaurant, demonstrating the growing appetite for diverse food in the area. And as refugee populations continue to grow in Syracuse, the demand for foods and ingredients from their respective home countries will likely rise as well.

Refugees shop and work at ethnic restaurants and grocery stores, but many also transition into ownership. That’s a shift from what those same refugees experienced in their home countries, said Adam Sudmann, the program director of With Love. With Love is a training restaurant that hosts an entrepreneur from a different country every six months.

While working at With Love, Sudmann has helped several entrepreneurs manage the transition to full-fledged business owners.

“In some cases, it can be a double paradigm shift,” Sudman said. “Not only is it a cultural shift, but it can also be a shift going from employee to owner.”

But ethnic food businesses like With Love can have a cyclical effect. Many refugees own and profit from them while also being customers of other refugee-owned businesses. These restaurants owned by refugees are great for building popularity for rising chefs and for helping them grow their businesses.

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Although there is demand for ethnic foods, these entrepreneurs still face their fair share of challenges.

Business owners often struggle with marketing and attracting new customers. National chain restaurants have more resources and huge marketing budgets to help bring in new business, while locally owned restaurants rely almost exclusively on recommendations. Luckily for restaurants in Syracuse, the word gets around.

“It’s really a good town for word of mouth. I think things spread really quickly,” Sudmann said.

With Love recently finished its first six-month rotation with Sarah, an entrepreneur from Lahore, Pakistan. The restaurant has limited hours, but there was so much demand for Sarah’s cuisine that she decided to launch her own catering company called Punjabi Girl Catering.

Since leaving With Love, Sarah began running her catering business full time, and she is searching for a location to open her own restaurant.

“I have a ton of customers. I don’t have a restaurant, but I still have customers that want my food,” Sarah said.

The demand for Sarah’s Pakistani food and the constant growth of ethnic restaurants shows how successful international tastes can be in Syracuse.

International students at Syracuse University may crave the comforts of home, while students from big cities are used to a diverse set of dinner options. Even local consumers are likely craving tasty foods outside the traditional American realm.

These customers may not think about the business that’s providing their favorite takeout meal. But if they did, they should be even more encouraged to support these local restaurants. Ethnic food businesses boost the economy of their surrounding areas by creating jobs and keeping dollars local.

Syracuse’s tastes and demographics are diversifying, giving ethnic restaurants an even bigger potential for growth and immigrant entrepreneurs the opportunity to succeed.

Daniel Strauss is a junior finance major and public communications minor. His column appears biweekly. He can be reached at dstrauss@syr.edu and followed on Twitter @_thestrauss_.

Published on October 4, 2017 at 11:09 pm