Chicago: Meet the first Black Chick-Fil-A owner-operator who left Wall Street to follow his passion
Kareem Edwards, a Queens native, is Chicago’s first Black Chick-fil-A owner-operator after a long and complex journey filled with uncertainty and passion led him to his current successful career.
Raised in Far Rockaway by his mother, a first-generation American of Trinidadian and Tobagonian descent, he learned the value of preparedness. His Caribbean/African heritage shaped his goals of education, skill mastery, stable work, and gratitude.
He earned a Posse Foundation scholarship to study mathematics at DePauw University, where his involvement in student government highlighted his ability to unite people and achieve objectives.
After graduating, he relocated to New York, rapidly advancing his career on Wall Street, notably at Lehman Brothers until its 2008 collapse. By his early thirties, Crain’s Chicago Business named him one of the city’s inaugural “20 in Their 20s.”
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Despite this success, he questioned his path, wondering what it would feel like to love his work. He eventually quit, admitting, “I am crushing this industry, even though I’m not happy.”
“If I go to business school, I understand even more about business and then maybe I go down entrepreneurship or find something that I truly like,” he told Essence.
Driven by this ambition, he earned his MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan in 2015 and was recognized as a Top MBA to Watch by Poets & Quants. He then joined Kraft Heinz, leading the breakthrough innovation team and launching the highly successful ‘Just Crack an Egg’, which Nielsen cited as a top new product.
Despite major career success, he still considered owning his own business.
Around 2015-2016, Edwards explored franchise options like laundromats, Subway, and McDonald’s before choosing Chick-fil-A. The deciding factor was Chick-fil-A’s unique owner-operator model, which requires the operator to be fully embedded and present, deeply involved in the local community—unlike other models allowing absentee ownership.
Edwards was motivated by a desire “to make the impact.”
“I wanted to be there and really see the change,” he said, adding that he also wanted to be committed to his family.
This factor was further confirmed by Chick-fil-A’s interviews with his wife, Janelle, as part of the selection process.
Edwards and Janelle met at DePauw University in 2003 when they were freshmen. He saw her moving in and immediately knew he would marry her. Two decades later, Janelle is not only his wife but also his business partner and the person who encouraged him to leave his stable job to pursue opening a restaurant.
While he was considering his options after leaving Google, she encouraged him, saying, “Since I’ve known you, you talked about owning a restaurant, owning a lounge, you need to do this.”
Still, Edwards carefully prepared before leaving his Google job. He tested his vision by working Chick-fil-A counters after his shifts, saved money, prayed for guidance, and thoroughly considered the move.
He explained, “I’m going to be resentful to myself for not taking the chance of me and betting on myself.”
Despite opening the 1106 S. Clinton St. South Loop location in January 2021 during the pandemic, Edwards successfully led a team of nearly 100. His multifaceted role often made him a “counselor, father figure, babysitter, [and] semi-doctor.”
He focused on building systems and maintaining consistency, always dedicating Saturday mornings to family (swim lessons, ballet) and volunteering at Just Roots Chicago, an urban farming nonprofit near the store.
The community members became familiar with the team, led by director Sean, and the organization’s work assisting nearby displaced residents. So, when a Chick-fil-A corporate grant opportunity arose, he nominated them.
Edwards, who has a background in finance, CPG, and technology, credits his career growth to women, especially Black women, rather than traditional mentors or coaches.
“Women leadership has been my mentorship,” he said, adding that this belief guides how he runs his store.
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