Judy Wicks (A) the owners, leaving Wicks with "a nothing share of minded spirit that had led her to Alaska with VISTA, nothing" and no job. and she was convinced that this spirit was Undaunted, Wicks opened her own carry-out compatible with her core business objectives. Her muffin shop in the neighborhood of the University new goal was to integrate her personal, political, of Pennsylvania, just below her second-story and social beliefs with her business, in a way that apartment. One day when there was a line of would stimulate growth for her restaurant, and customers waiting to be served, she moved a table spark a sense of community. down from her apartment and invited everyone to take a seat. Soon she hired a waitress and started serving hot food cooked on a barbecue in her back yard. Dishes were washed in a sink in the dining room, and the public bathroom was upstairs in her apartment. The new restaurant was named The OIW YOUL White Dog Cafe. The next year, with a $75,000 loan from a friend, Wicks finally built a small kitchen with a grill and expanded the restaurant into the adjacent brownstone. In the mid-1980s, Wicks refinanced her ww slide a brownstone, built a full kitchen in the basement, obtained a liquor license and began offering a more sophisticated menu. She transformed the first-floor space into a series of airy, exposed-wood, bare-brick dining nooks with an intimate feel, complete with lace curtains, dog figurines and whimsical canine art. Later, Wicks annexed the space of a third brownstone, expanding seating capacity at the White Dog to 200. The Cafe's homey atmosphere and first-class menu made it an increasingly popular choice for diners from all areas of the city. Competition remained fierce, however, and Wicks looked for new ways to expand the restaurant's reach. New Directions Wicks was convinced that her business had a far greater potential than it had yet realized. Working long days and nights at the White Dog, she became concerned that she - and her business - were becoming too isolated from the community that surrounded them, and the issues of the day. Further, she saw Philadelphia's diversity increasingly factionalized, which she felt was a threat to the continuing economic vitality of the city's urban core. A city which emptied out in the evenings, as business people fled to the suburbs, could hardly support a thriving restaurant trade. In addition, Philadelphia was already a highly competitive environment for dining establishments, and Wicks needed to further distinguish her cafe to survive in the long term. Wicks herself retained the activist, community- 2 This document is authorized for educator review use only by Patricia Torres, University of Detroit Mercy until Jul 2022. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Permissions@hosp.harvard edu or 617.783.7860