EDUCATION | Driving tomorrow’s achievements
08 December 2008
Chili, Hot Dogs, and the Family Legacy
By Jeanne Holden
Ben’s Chili Bowl is a small restaurant with a huge reputation in Washington, D.C., and beyond. A West Indian immigrant to the United States started the business more than 50 years ago, and his sons lead the business into its sixth decade.
Jeanne Holden is a freelance writer.
“It’s about the people. It’s always been about the people,” says Nizam Ali, when asked why he went into his family’s business, Ben’s Chili Bowl. “It came down to helping my family and realizing how much our restaurant means to so many people.”
Nizam, now 38 years old, didn’t always want to run the landmark hot dog and chili shop his parents started 50 years ago in Washington, D.C. In fact, he was in his late 20s before he truly appreciated the significance of his parents’ accomplishments.
Mahaboob Ben Ali, Nizam’s father, came to the United States in 1945 from Trinidad, West Indies, where he was born. According to Nizam, Ben had the drive of the poor immigrant who must succeed. “Dad’s people were business people,” said Nizam. The United States was the land of opportunity. Ben Ali tried several careers, from the import-export business to dental school to waiting on tables.
On August 22, 1958, he opened a little hot dog and chili parlor in a vibrant section of the U.S. capital then known as “Black Broadway” because top African-American performers played clubs in the area. Ben started the restaurant with the help of Virginia Rollins, the woman who would become his wife. Virginia worked on U Street at the Industrial Bank of Washington, one of the oldest and largest African-American-owned banking institutions in the United States.
Virginia had grown up on a farm in Chance, Virginia, about 100 miles southeast of Washington, D.C. “Mom’s strong work ethic and warm, welcoming ways — her so-called Southern hospitality — complemented Dad’s business sense,” said Nizam. They were in love, but getting married was complicated. Ben Ali is of South Asian descent and Virginia Rollins is African American. At the time, interracial marriages were illegal in certain states. After several attempts, Ben Ali and Virginia Rollins were married in a civil ceremony in a Washington, D.C., courthouse — two months after the opening of Ben’s Chili Bowl.
A Neighborhood Restaurant
The Alis used $5,000 to open a neighborhood restaurant known for simple, good food and a friendly staff. The U Street Corridor was a center of the black community with businesses, shops, and restaurants. Ben’s Chili Bowl was popular and attracted a mix of African-American artists, professionals, and ordinary folks. In the early years, well-known jazz performers such as Duke Ellington and Bessie Smith were regular customers. Later, Bill Cosby, a famous comedian, humanitarian, and philanthropist, liked to hang out at Ben’s and brought his future wife, Camille, there while they were dating.
Ben’s Chili Bowl endured in good times and difficult ones. When the civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968, riots broke out in many cities. In Washington, D.C., most businesses in the U Street Corridor closed down, but Ben’s remained open. In the 1980s, subway expansion tore up U Street, but Ben’s remained open throughout years of construction.
His parents’ philosophy sustained the restaurant, Nizam said. “Basically, it consisted of ‘treat everybody well, your friends, your employees, and your customers.’ If you treat your community well, they will be there for you.”
Career Decisions
Nizam, the youngest of the Alis’ three sons, was born in 1970 and grew up in the restaurant. “As soon as I could reach the tables, I started wiping them off,” he recalled. Nizam helped out after school and in the summer, but the restaurant wasn’t all-consuming. He also took part in camps and other activities. “I never minded having a family that owned a restaurant,” he said. “It was a very cool place to bring your friends.”
Nizam’s oldest brother, Haidar, helped out in the restaurant for a short time, but he always wanted to be a musician. He now lives in California with his wife. The middle son, Kamal, on the other hand, came to work in the restaurant directly after college. Eight years older than Nizam, Kamal is the son who promised Ben Ali that he would carry on the family business. So Nizam didn’t experience much family pressure to join the business and was able to explore his options.
In college, Nizam realized he loved radio. He was a disc jockey on three college radio stations and held internships with two commercial radio stations. By the time he was 20, “I had one foot in the restaurant and one foot in radio,” Nizam said. “I loved them both, but I wasn’t doing my best in either one.” So Nizam took a year off after college and dedicated himself to working at Ben’s Chili Bowl.
He learned that the restaurant business is incredibly hard work. “We’re open seven days a week and we only close two days a year — Christmas and Thanksgiving,” Nizam said. “During the week, we open at 6 a.m. and usually close at 2 a.m. On Friday and Saturday nights, [we close at] 4 a.m. Sunday is our short day — 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.”
Still, Nizam didn’t know what direction to take in life. His oldest brother, Haidar, urged Nizam to list his goals: owning his own company, seeing the world, and having a wife and family. Then they discussed how to achieve them. “Haidar was convinced that law school was the vehicle to accomplish all the goals,” Nizam explained. The University of Maryland School of Law accepted Nizam, but he worried about whether he had the drive to complete three more years of study. His brother was resolute: If you have the opportunity and the means to go to law school, then you have a responsibility to go.
Celebration and Discovery
Nizam passed the Maryland bar exam and was sworn in as a lawyer in December 1996. He practiced law in Maryland in 1997 and early 1998. As summer approached, Nizam realized that August 22, 1998, would be the 40th anniversary of his parents’ opening of the restaurant.
Nizam wanted to commemorate the 40th anniversary. “By this time, Dad was 71 and Mom was 65,” he said. “I had an idea: Why don’t we close the street in front of the restaurant and have a press conference. We’ll invite the mayor and city officials to do a tribute to Mom and Dad for Ben’s Chili Bowl, for surviving all the adversity and maintaining this place.” Nizam and his brother Kamal set to work on plans, phone calls, press releases, and posters.
But what Nizam and Kamal didn’t know was that one of their customers would also publicize the event. “He thought the history of Ben’s Chili Bowl made a great story, and his wife worked at CNN (the Cable News Network),” said Nizam. So shortly before the anniversary, CNN reporters came to Ben’s Chili Bowl to interview the Ali family. They also interviewed the restaurant’s most famous fan, Bill Cosby, about the Alis’ historic restaurant. The resulting story ran repeatedly on CNN and Headline News.
“Suddenly, an event that had started out as a humble thank-you had grown into something much larger,” Nizam said. It was a huge success. Officials and customers came together to celebrate their extraordinary neighborhood restaurant. The Alis received a proclamation from the city, which now hangs framed on the restaurant’s wall. For the next two weeks, lines of customers stretched outside the restaurant’s doors.
“I went on vacation right after the 40th anniversary event,” Nizam said. “But I was calling every day, and my family said the crowds were insane — unending. So literally the day I came back, I came straight to the restaurant, and I’ve worked ever since. I never considered not helping and I’ve never regretted it.”
Nizam says the 40th anniversary made him realize the great love that so many people have for Ben’s Chili Bowl. “We were receiving all these accolades, and I knew Ben’s had to continue,” Nizam said. “Also I realized that my brother could not run the restaurant by himself. Someone has to be here every day to maintain the quality, the integrity, and the cleanliness. Even now, we both work six days a week.”
Going into the family business was not Nizam’s plan, but he knew in his heart that it was the right thing to do. His father, Ben, is more conflicted. Part of him regrets that Nizam is not practicing law, while another part is really proud of his son for helping carry on the business.
Now Nizam and his wife, Jyotika, have a three-year-old son, Tariq. His brother Kamal and his wife have eight-year-old twins. Nizam says he hopes one of the children goes into the family business.
Earlier this year, the Alis celebrated the restaurant’s 50th anniversary with a gala emceed by Bill Cosby, a street party, and a concert to thank the customers, and all the events were free of charge.
According to Nizam, some aspects of the restaurant should never change. “Our staff is like family. Our customers are like visitors to our home. We get to know them,” he said. Many people have suggested that Ben’s Chili Bowl could become a franchise, but Nizam says no time soon. He and Kamal also have to think about their own quality of life. “If we franchised Ben’s, we’d be millionaires, but would my son know who I am?” Nizam asked. “It’s about so much more than money.”
“Ben’s is the flagship,” Nizam says. “My biggest fear is that someone who knows and loves the restaurant will say Ben’s is not what it used to be. Our respect for the legacy is why people love Ben’s so much.”
The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. government.
