Liberty Township woman says that she is going to stay focused
Lisa Bernard-Kuhn reports:
Liz Rogers is still hoarse.
The executive chef and owner of newly opened Mahogany’s at The Banks has been calling out endless orders for hand-breaded catfish, fried green tomatoes, grits and smothered pork chops.
Liz Rogers of Liberty Township, owner of Mahogany’s at The Banks, sits in the bar area of the restaurant, which will have its grand opening next month. Photo taken by Gary Landers.
“At one point, we were on a three-hour wait for a table,” Rogers said Monday.
Since Mahogany’s launched a “soft” opening three weeks ago, Rogers has been pulling 15-hour days to work out the kinks and prep for a grand opening in mid-September.
When she’s not in the kitchen, she’s training her 40 employees, meeting with vendors and putting the finishing touches on her 130-seat restaurant.
The pressure to succeed is immense.
Mahogany’s is Cincinnati’s first upscale soul food restaurant.
But even before it opened, Rogers’ $984,000 financing deal from the city of Cincinnati also made Mahogany’s one of the region’s most talked-about new restaurants.
Details about Rogers’ past financial troubles stirred debate among City Council members and others about the propriety of giving her startup help.
Rogers and her husband, Trent, have since made good on back property taxes, and the couple has a payment plan in place to pay off $49,000 owed to the IRS.
Rogers has the next 10 years to pay back a city loan of $300,000, which she obtained by putting up $1.3 million in collateral, including her restaurant in Hamilton.
She received a separate $684,000 federal grant available to small business owners for projects like this. She used the grant to finish out her 3,200-square-foot space.
Rogers, 42, has said her financial issues were disclosed along with all relevant credit information during a yearlong negotiation with city leaders. It started with an invitation to come to The Banks by City Manager Milton Dohoney.
Mahogany’s isn’t the only restaurant at The Banks to get city help to open.
Toby Keith’s I Love this Bar and Grill got a $5.5 million loan from the city and Hamilton County in 2010 to help cover opening costs.
If Toby Keith’s fails, the city and county will be last in line to recoup their money, according to that deal.
Unfortunately, in her case, Rogers said, race also became an issue.
“There have been racial slurs made about my business,” she said.
“My restaurant has been called a chicken shack. There have been people who have said that my restaurant is in the wrong neighborhood.
“I don’t deserve any of this,” she said.
“There isn’t one business owner out there that doesn’t owe a bill to someone.”
Rogers said she wants to put the issues behind her.
“No restaurant should have to open under this kind of scrutiny or pressure ever,” she said. “I just feel like we should move on. I’m going to stay focused on the people who want me to succeed.”
Among Rogers’ biggest supporters are her neighbors at The Banks.
The owners of Johnny Rockets, Holy Grail and nearby Moerlein Lager House restaurants regularly send guests her way.
They also stop in to offer tips on working through the big crowds and riding out the slower days.
“You’re chasing dollars to make pennies in the restaurant industry,” said Jim Moehring, a co-owner at Holy Grail at The Banks.
“The margins are super thin, and it’s incredibly tough. She’s a great addition, and we’re all looking out for her here.”
Even some of her most high-profile critics are rooting for Rogers.
Failure for Mahogany’s would benefit no one, said Councilman Christopher Smitherman, who voted against the restaurant’s financing deal.
“I wish them well, and we want their business to be successful,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s all about her doing what she has to do to make it successful.”
Others – mostly Mahogany’s diners – are more interested in what’s coming our of her kitchen than her credit report.
“I like the atmosphere and the food and service was great, and fast,” said Kennedy Heights resident Nici Ruffin, who stopped by Mahogany’s last week for the fried catfish, macaroni and cheese and green beans.
“We’re waiting on the grand opening to see what’s on the full menu.”
Rogers says she’s still waiting on more equipment to arrive before she sets a firm date for her grand opening.
By then she says her menu also will boast chicken and waffles, shrimp and grits, sweet potato muffins and salmon croquettes – the kind of comfort food and family meals that shaped her life.
“This is my dream,” she said. “There are people depending on me to stay open so they can feed their families and send their kids to college. Nothing is going to deter me.”
On Monday, though, she was second-guessing her decision to open to the public so far in advance of the grand opening.
“Usually you do soft openings for family and friends, but we really wanted the public to be a part of it,” she said. “I think there’s some confusion about our menu and our hours, but we’re asking people to be patient with us.”
For now, hours are noon to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m to 2:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Business typically has been light during lunch and heavy on the weekends.
Sean Rugless, president of the African American Chamber of Commerce for Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, has supported Rogers from the start.
“September will be a telling moment,” he said. “She will have gone through all that she has in Cincinnati, and she will still deliver something that all of Cincinnati will embrace and love.”