We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Fayth Jefferson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Fayth, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

The Fivee was founded by my late brother, a well-known community leader, social entrepreneur, and activist Bishop Omar Jahwar. The FIVEE was based on one of the core principles from his high-five model, social interaction andwas the last extension of my brother’s legacy that he developed before his passing.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I was thrusted into this industry by my brother, the late Bishop Omar Jahwar, it was one of his final projects of his life. Mid 2019, Bishop Omar decided we should go after something new: the food industry. I was very hesitant, but He TOLD me this is what WE were going to do, so “Go to workman” lol. He called it The Five Experience, one of the core principles from his high-five model, social interaction. The foundational work was complete, and we were set to launch March 2020. Tragically COVID-19 hit the US, and before we could open the doors we were shut down. As the world began to open up my brother contracted COVID Oct 2020 and gained his wings March 2021.

Devastated, I didn’t realize what he left in my hands to carry out. In May of 2021, I came out of my deep depression and kept hearing his words echo in my head “Go to Work Man”. From there The Five Experience evolved into The FIVEe Bistro & Bar, The Soul of The Cedars. We relaunched in October of 2021, and the rest is history.

The Fivee is more than a restaurant; it is a social gathering hub that promotes positive social interactions in an upscale urban environment. We are known for our American Food with a Soulful Twist, great ambience, and a positive social experience. Our customers rave about our cuisines and our VIBE! We have live music on Thursdays & Sundays, and our Day Parties are unforgettable! I think our culture sets us apart from others. We have embedded a culture of service, inclusivity, and love; I believe those who “Experience” the FiveE feel that (the extre E in FiveE is for the experience). I am most proud that we made our footprint in the city. The Fivee went viral on TikTok spring of 2022, thanks to Shannon Brown of Epiphany, who hosted a networking event, and the branding of the The FiveE has held steady and has only improved since then. I now have new partners. Shoutout to Kent Williams, Justin Williams & Erik Grayson; we are making new waves in the city.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Late 2022 I was ready to throw in the towel. Earlier that year my uncle Bob White threw me a lifeline, I had some people come in and things were looking promising. By April I was carrying the load with only a faithful few still remaining (shout out to Tonya, Marvin & Saint) and I just couldn’t carry the all of the executive responsibilities alone. I was ready to close our doors for good, and looked at the portrait of my brother hanging in The Fivee and said “If you’re still with me and believe I can do this give me a sign.” Within 3 days Kent, Erik and Justin showed up unexpectantly and instead of wanting to buy me out, they listened to what I was tryng to do, and what my brother saw; they took hold of the vision my brother had and said let’s work together. I made the decision to pivot instead of closing, and God made the increase.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

I met my partners Kent & Justin Williams over 20 years ago, I was part of their family. As time went on, they had a successful business in the same industry. I frequented their spot on numerous occasions. When I started my own, Kent Williams, one of the owners, would often stop by, give me sound advice and encourage me. Kent reached out to me to inquire about business; I let him know I was ready to ive it up. He said for me to wait because he had an idea and believed we all needed to met, that is where I met Erik Grayson. We met, decided to work together and we have been rocking ever since then.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://thefivee.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fiveebistrobar/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liveatthefive/

Image Credits
Fivee Bistro Touch of Heaven Photography