We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lisa McMillan . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lisa below.

Lisa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with talking about how you serve the underserved, because in our view this is one of the most important things the small business community does for society – by serving those who the giant corporations ignore, small business helps create a more inclusive and just world for all of us.

I was one of twelve children and although we always had something to eat I cannot say that at times I could have used a bit more to eat. My parents did the best they could but I always thought about the people with less food than us. I never dreamed that God would use me and my husband in such a powerful way. We opened our donations only restaurant four years ago and besides serving the underserved we inspire others from all over the world to do the same. You cannot look at a person and know if they need a meal or helping hand so we have opened our hearts and restaurant to all. Some people come in and share their hardships with us and it makes them feel better. I remember one day a man was making his selections from the food line and he asked if he could get an extra piece of meat…I explained to him that we could not…he said “I will pay extra” I told him no we could not…he said not even for more money…I told him suppose someone wanted an extra piece of meat and could not pay…do you think it’s fair because you can pay that I should give you extra meat and not give it to them? As a donations-only restaurant who is focused on feeding the need, we strive to eliminate social and financial barriers, and make everything equal for everyone. We don’t sell food, we give it and its our joy to do so. When you serve the underserved making money is way down on the wish list.

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?

We are Lisa and Freddie McMillan. We own and operate Drexell and Honeybees Donations Only Restaurant in Brewton, AL. We opened March 26, 2018. We are a ministry of Carlisa, Inc., a 501c3 non-profit food bank in Brewton, AL. Our food bank was started in 2002 when we noticed that a lot of seniors in our area were suffering from severe food shortages. To help with the shortages we began a hot meals and food box delivery program. Over the years we began to realize that there were people who had little opportunity to just go out and share a cup of coffee with a family member or friend; something most of us take for granted. In 2012 a desire took over my heart to open a restaurant where anyone could come and eat and not have to worry about what it cost. We knew we wanted it to be a nice place where even if people had money they would still want to come and eat with us. We wanted it to be a place where everyone was on an even keel: rich, middle class, or poor, it would not matter. We wanted to serve the best food, have a very clean place and offer a place for people from all walks of life to fellowship and sit and eat together. We wanted a donations box behind a privacy screen where people could walk up to and make a donation or not…and no one would know the difference. We are proud that people come from all over the country to visit and experience our donations only restaurant and our very good food. We are proud of how many people we inspire to want to do the same where they live. We are proud to show people that it does not matter if your are rich or poor it only matters what’s in your heart and how you choose to serve others.

In short, we are a Donations-Only Restaurant feeding the need for community and food. We have no suggested menu prices or cash registers. Donations are welcomed, but not necessary and its our great joy to feed our community and make sure that those who come to our restaurant are well-fed and nourished.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When we finally found the building that is now Drexell and Honeybees Donations Only Restaurant the cost was $45,000. We decided to pay it off first before we began any renovations. It took almost two years to finish paying it off. After it was paid off we began the renovations and that took another year and a lot of money. Our credit cards were pushed to the limit and all other resources. The total cost was close to $150.000. An example of some of the expenses: Range hood cost and installation: $18,000…air and heat installation: $23,000…etc.

After all the work was completed we were strapped and I though that if we shared the story with others, they would possibly feel the way we felt and help out. I contacted five newspapers and not one of them were interested. They didn’t believe in the vision or what we could do for our community. It didn’t seem like a very good idea to them. With very little money to open up, buy groceries and get started we were disappointed and felt a little defeated and scared. After putting off our opening we decided to trust in God that he had our backs and just open with what we had. We did and on the third day a stranger walked in and gave us a check that was enough for us to stock up on food and keep going.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

We think that the most important thing that helped us become a beacon for the underserved and serving others is that making money is not our driving motivation, we simply desire to feed our community and will do whatever it takes to do so.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.drexellandhoneybees.com
• Instagram: @drexellandhoneybees
• Facebook: Drexell and Honeybees onations Only Restaurant foodyescashno

Image Credits
Lisa and Freddie McMillan