Tabitha Brown, a social media personality and serial entrepreneur, entered the restaurant business with Kale My Name, a vegan concept that had already found success in Chicago in 2021, Eater reported. The restaurant was the brainchild of Nemanja Nekac Golubovic.
She recently shared insight she gained when she closed the vegan Los Angeles restaurant, which, according to her, is more valuable than dollars.
During an interview on iHeartPodcast’s “Not My Best Moment” with KevOnStage, Brown explained that she grew to love the Kale My Name restaurant during her stay in Chicago.
“I went and and did a video for him that went viral, changed his whole life, his whole business. Just blessed him, and I was so grateful for that. And one day I was like, ‘You know what? If he ever wanted to open one in L.A., I would partner with them,’” she revealed on the podcast, as reported by AfroTech.
She added, “Now, mind you, I ain’t never did a restaurant business. Never had done did that. I happened to walk in that day and after having that thought, he came and sat at the tables. Me and one of my girlfriends were there visiting and he was like … ‘You know, I’ve been thinking I want to open maybe in L.A. ‘I said, ‘This is my sign from the Lord. This is it.’”
Brown and Golubovic entered a 50/50 partnership in the restaurant. Although Brown had doubts about the rented location, she accepted Golubovic’s assurance about the property after the legal agreement was finalized.
Brown encountered several staffing difficulties. She employed regulars, often aspiring actors who frequently left for roles. More seriously, she reported that some staff members tried to sue the restaurant by staging accidents, although these attempts were recorded on camera. Hiring family and friends also created what Brown referred to as red flags.
“We want to bless our friends and family. Sometimes we can put them in a position that they are not ready to be put in, and you are not ready to put them there,” Brown said on “Not My Best Moment.” “They don’t have the skill set to win. So you actually set them up to fail while setting yourself up to fail. … I maybe put some people in position that I shouldn’t have and with the budget that we didn’t have.”
The building’s main problem was an unstable foundation, which caused parts of the ceiling to collapse. Tenants often moved out quickly because of these ongoing issues, she learned.
Brown explained that she could not risk her reputation or customer safety. She stated, “I can’t have a kitchen with food that people say ‘This is Tabitha Brown’ and a ceiling is falling and stuff is falling into this food. I can’t take that risk.”
She also wouldn’t risk the building failing to meet code, which could lead to an audit. “This is my name on the line,” she emphasized. Despite the restaurant being named “Kale My Name,” Brown decided to “take this loss because I just can’t risk it.”
Brown announced on the podcast that she closed the restaurant after just eight months. The decision was prompted by a second ceiling collapse, which she interpreted as a sign from the Holy Spirit that she should not proceed with the building or, by extension, the restaurant venture.
“Unfortunately I lost friendships because of this restaurant — but not necessarily because of the restaurant. It really revealed true friendship. I lost a lot of money,” she recounted.
Despite the financial setback, it wasn’t a complete loss. Brown explained that she doesn’t “put all [her] eggs in one basket” and is fortunate to have multiple businesses and a strong income. She stated that the loss actually provided a benefit by offsetting her taxes.
Brown reflected on the experience, saying, “Even in that moment… I’ll never see that money from that restaurant, and I’m OK with that because the lesson was more valuable than dollars.… Don’t jump into anything just because it feels good.”
According to Black Enterprise, Brown stressed the necessity of knowing when to pivot, particularly given the current economic climate, at the first Clover x Shark Tank Summit in Las Vegas in September 2025.
”We’ve got to learn how to pivot. I mean, everybody’s pivoting,” Brown said.
She added, “If it’s not working right now, we have to figure out, ‘OK, what else can I do either to support the business or to bring in more income or to help with marketing?’ Whatever it is, we’ve got to figure out the pivot and not be afraid of it.”
