Rayal Lounge BK

 

Longtime friends Aubrey Lawson and Ray Charles had recently retired as MTA supervisors when they decided to embark on another journey.  The longtime friends wanted to add the cuisine of their native Guyana to the vast array of foods available in Brooklyn and quickly found a suitable location in the bustling neighborhood of Bedford Stuyvesant.  However, they needed to get over some hurdles, including gaining the acceptance of the landlord.

 

Ray and Aubrey attended a one-on-one session held by the Pace University SBDC at the Brooklyn Public Library and met with Business Advisor Rawle Brown.  Rawle showed them how to complete a business plan that would be acceptable to the landlord and did several drafts of financial projections after getting cost and revenue estimates from Ray and Aubrey.  Their proposal was accepted by the landlord, and they invested over $200K into opening for business in late March of 2025 and creating 12 new jobs.  Rawle also encouraged them to gain community acceptance by reaching out to the Community Board in the area.  Ray and Aubrey subsequently reported that the community greeted them with open arms.

 

"We had the entrepreneurial mindset and the SBDC gave us a step-by-step guide to make our dream a reality.  This is a very useful resource."