In the competitive Atlanta food scene, Chef Gambia Baboukar has carved out a unique space with his restaurant, The Greedy Bunch. Blending his Gambian heritage with American culinary influences, Baboukar has created a dining experience that’s authentic, inviting, and rapidly gaining recognition among locals and celebrities alike. The South Side native, who travels to Gambia annually, named his restaurant after a family nickname that’s been around for nearly two decades. As The Greedy Bunch approaches its third anniversary, Chef Gambia was our guest on the Business Exchange to talk his heritage and business.
What inspired you to start The Greedy Bunch, and why did you name it that?
Growing up, I either wanted to be a chef or an actor. I felt like being a chef was more realistic, so I stuck to that path. The name comes from my family. When relatives would visit from out of town, we always went out to eat together. My uncles and my dad started calling us “the Greedy Bunch.” The name has been around for 15-20 years now, so it felt right to use it.
What’s Gambia like compared to other African countries?
One of my favorite things about Gambia is that it’s one of the smallest countries in Africa. It’s probably just a few zip codes. You can go from one end to the other in a matter of a few hours. The main parts of Gambia are really small – about a 30-minute to one-hour drive back and forth.
How does your heritage influence your food and business approach?
It’s mainly in the flavors of the food. I grew up eating at a big table, sitting on the floor, eating with our hands. I’d like The Greedy Bunch to be a spot for everybody, where people of different races and ethnicities can come, chill, and enjoy themselves.
What are some of your most requested menu items?
The loaded fries are popular. We take fries and toss them in wing sauces of your choice – we make our own wing sauces. You can add chicken, beef, or lamb with grilled onions and cheese on top. People love that. Then there’s the Domoda Pasta, which I’ve been working on for years before opening the restaurant. Domoda is a peanut butter sauce that traditionally goes over rice – some countries call it mafe. I recreated it as a pasta sauce, similar to Alfredo. When people try that for the first time and they’re not allergic to peanut butter, they go crazy for it. That’s my signature dish.
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned from running a restaurant?
The hardest task is managing employees. I used to work for the previous owners of this space for about six years before I took over. Seeing how my boss treated me, I wanted to be a better boss. I try to give everybody their requested time off because it’s not all about work – I want them to live their lives too. Another challenge is scaling the business while keeping costs down. The big delivery companies charge an arm and a leg for supplies, but if you do the work yourself and go directly to stores, you can get things much cheaper. It’s about knowing when to cut costs and when to spend money to save time.
Have any celebrities visited your restaurant?
Besides influencers, I’d say three notable people. Mohammed Gueye from the Atlanta Hawks – he’s from Senegal, which is basically the same country as Gambia. I’ve seen Boosie come in once, and his son comes in all the time. And Kasim Reed, the former mayor – you never see him without a suit on, but he comes in wearing joggers, just chillin’. We also get OTE basketball players and Georgia Tech basketball players, plus influencers like Gemini Kai.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to start a restaurant?
Don’t do it for the money. Restaurants are one of the hardest businesses to get into, and the profit margin is very slim unless you’re selling alcohol, which we don’t since everything we serve is halal. It’s a lot of work, and if you’re doing it for the money, you’ll quit before you can get there. Do it for the passion, do it because it’s been your dream, because you love food and creating recipes and spreading love. There are many other things you can do to make a quicker profit, so do this because you love it.
I have to ask: Nigeria jollof or Gambia jollof?
Senegal and Gambia used to be one country called Senegambia. Senegal was colonized by the French, which is why they speak French, and Gambia was colonized by the British, which is why we speak English. The food is a little different, but similar. The word “jollof” comes from Wolof, which is what we speak. If you do some research, you’ll see that in a jollof competition between all the African countries, Gambia was actually the winner. But you Nigerians are more populated, so I’ll let you have that one!
