By Chanda Temple
It’s 1 p.m. on the afternoon of Jan. 4, and Denise Peterson is wearing a T-shirt that says, “Imma Overcomer.”
It’s a meaningful mantra for a woman who is moving Yo Mama’s, a 10-year-old restaurant she runs with her daughter, Crystal, into a new and larger space in downtown Birmingham.
Walking through the new 5,500-plus foot space, which is a huge shift from the 1,300 square foot original location, Denise admits that one thing she had to overcome was the fear of growth.
“You can get content in where you are and end up staying there, but not be where God wants you to be because of fear,” said Denise, 68. “So, I had to overcome that part of it to say, ‘OK, we can make this happen.’ ”
Come Jan. 6, she and Crystal will be ready to make big things happen as they serve their popular chicken and waffles, shrimp and grits, fish sandwiches, wings, burgers, chicken sandwiches and tacos in their new location at 2024 Fourth Ave. North. They will be open Monday – Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
“In this environment, there can be a lot of things that can come against you, but when you make it through it, you overcome it,” said Denise, a Birmingham native. “If it doesn’t take you down, then you are all right.”
When Denise and Crystal selected the new location for Yo Mama’s, the space was truly a blank canvas. There was no flooring. Just rocks. And overhead industrial lighting bounced off the cinderblock walls.
The space was harsh, but they worked to soften it up with Yo Mama’s feel-good brand. The new location’s cinderblocks were covered with half bricks to look like exposed brick walls. Sheetrock was also added in certain places. White, lime green, purple and earth tones were added to ignite appetites, and soft lighting was installed for a relaxed setting.
“We didn’t want to go to a bigger space and make it feel commercial,” Crystal said. “We still want you to feel at home, but in a bigger environment. We just have a bigger place for y’all to come and have fun.”
Here are a few things you can expect to find in the new location of the award-winning Yo Mama’s, which has appeared on Food Network, the Cooking Channel and Netflix. In 2022, Eat This, Not That said Yo Mama’s had the best waffles in Alabama. In 2024, Southern Living listed it as one of the best 35 restaurants in Birmingham.
Take a seat
- The old Yo Mama’s had seating for 36 people. The new location will be able to accommodate up to 125. But for now, they have seating for about 96 people to give patrons more space during the cold and flu season. Counters and tall chairs are placed along the windows that face Fourth Avenue North to allow diners to eat with a view.
- Two, large wooden tables from Southeastern Salvage were brought in to accommodate large groups interested in eating together or to simply promote community eating. Smaller tables can seat two and four people.
A room for every occasion
- To meet the demand of requests for private brunches, baby showers, meetings and events, they have a private dining room for 24 to 30 people. It comes with a projector and a 100-foot screen. It costs $1,500 to reserve it for three hours. If the patron rents it and buys $800 worth of food from Yo Mama’s, the balance for the room would be $700. If a patron needs it for more than three hours, it’s $500 for each additional hour. To book the space, send emails to hello@yomamasrestaurant.com.
Same food, same service
- Consumers will find the same food at the new location. However, the “Meals of the Day,” such as Pork Chop Tuesday, won’t be available until starting the week of Jan. 13 in order to give staff time to adjust during the first week. All food is made from scratch, daily. They also offer catering and gluten-free food.
More staff on board
- The old location had seven staff members. The new location will have 10, and they may add two more.
Saturday brunch will be back!
- Right now, they will host Saturday brunch on the second and last Saturday of the month. And from March to August, they will do Saturday brunch every Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Go here for the brunch menu.
Elevated entertainment
- TVs mounted on the walls, two menu monitors and an overhead audio system playing music were added to give the large space an “at-home” and intimate feeling just like you’d experience if dining at your mama’s house.
Parking
- The restaurant is located on the first floor of a 1,300-space parking deck at Fourth Avenue North and Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard North. The first hour of parking in the deck is free After that, there is a charge. After the first hour, it will be $3 to park. And for each additional hour parked in the deck, it will be an extra $1 for every hour. So, if you are parked in the deck for 1 hour and 15 minutes, for example, it’s $3 to exit the deck. If you are parked in the deck for 2 hours and 30 minutes, for example, it’s $4, and so on.
- There is usually a parking attendant in the exit booth or an automatic machine to take payments in cash, debit cards and credit cards.
- “How many places in downtown Birmingham can you get good food, attached to a parking space and in a nice environment,” Crystal said.
- Enter the deck off Fourth Avenue North and exit onto Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard North.
Sensory inclusive awareness
- Just like what they did at their original location, Yo Mama’s will have Kulture City sensory sensitive tools for families with children in need. They have headphones for children if restaurant sounds are too loud. They also have sunglasses for children if the light coming through the windows is too bright.
Cooking on display
- Patrons could see staff cooking at the old Yo Mama’s location, and the same will be true for the new location.
Pick up or place your order
- At the counter, there is an area for pick-up orders and a space to make walk-in orders. There’s significant space from the counter to the door, that they can wrap a line instead of the line going out the door.
Cook like a pro
- Yo Mama’s is featured in the latest cookbook by award-winning author Martie Duncan. In “The Alabama 100: Best Recipes, Restaurants & Road Trips,” Martie says that Yo Mama’s has some of the best fried chicken, cornbread and peach cobbler in the state. On page 192, readers can find the recipe for Yo Mama’s salmon croquettes, which is available during their Saturday brunch.
- “This version may be better than your own mama’s, and if you let Mama Denise make them for you, you won’t have to do the dishes afterwards,” Martie writes in her book, which can be bought at Yo Mama’s for $34.95.
Popular with the people
- Some well-known diners who’ve visited Yo Mama’s in the past include Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson; Stacey Abrams; Hillary Clinton; actor Omari Hardwick; NBA great Dominique Wilkins; and comedian/photographer Matt Mathews, who has 5.2 million followers on TikTok.
- In July 2023, Birmingham Mayor Randall L. Woodfin asked followers on social media which Birmingham restaurants were their favorites, and Yo Mama’s was on repeat enough to make the Top 10 list.
- In 2022, Yo Mama’s was the only Alabama restaurant to receive a $15,000 James Beard Foundation grant, through the organization’s Food and Beverage Investment Fund for Black and Indigenous Americans. Go here to read more about the award and how they give back to the community.
Savor This! Denise and Crystal Peterson have faced their share of challenges in wanting to find a bigger space for Yo Mama’s restaurant.
They looked at several places and were turned down. Or a place they thought ideal, had leak issues. The delays were disappointing, but they kept the faith and waited for something better.
While waiting, Denise held onto Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
During the process, Denise’s prayer was that if something was not for her, she was OK with that. But now that the new space has come, she knows she and Crystal will be ready to handle anything.
Chanda Temple is an award-winning writer living in Birmingham, AL. She blogs at http://www.chandatemplewrites.com. If you have a food story idea, email her at chandatemple@gmail.com. Follow her food postings on Instagram at @chandatemple.
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