One viral post kept this Philly chicken shop from closing
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Abed "Abe" Ibrahim in front of his new shop. Photo: Isaac Avilucea/Axios
Eight months ago, Abed "Abe" Ibrahim was a one-man band — cook, small business owner, pitchman — trying to save his tallow-fried chicken joint in Southwest Philly.
- Today, he's running a new location in the suburbs with a five-person staff — and he aspires to turn his upstart restaurant into a casual dining juggernaut.
Why it matters: For Ibrahim, a viral social media post meant the difference between closing and scaling up — and unlocked a devout health-conscious customer base.
Driving the news: Tallow's soft opening was last week at its new location inside the Fresh Grocer in Wyncote, an affluent suburb in Montgomery County.
Yes, but: He wouldn't be where he is now if it weren't for an outpouring of Philly support when the shop was on the brink of closing, bringing in about $50 a day.
- Desperate, he turned to social media to lament his struggles, attracting customers to his chicken shop inside the ShopRite grocery store in Southwest Philly.
Catch up quick: The post drew millions of views — and some hostility from people who thought his business was aligned with the Make America Healthy Again movement — leading to a surge in visits from social media influencers and hungry globe-trotting customers, some of whom came from as far as London, Ibrahim told Axios on Monday at his shop.
- First highlighted by Axios, Ibrahim's story was later picked up by Rolling Stone as an example of social media's double-edged sword — and of a growing culture war it described as "representative of the 'anti-woke' strain of MAGA contrarianism."
What they're saying: The pub paid off: Ibrahim says the business now averages about $1,000 in daily sales — on a "bad day" — and has spun off a side hustle selling locally sourced beef tallow wholesale.
The intrigue: The week before the stunning turnaround, Ibrahim had borrowed $50 from a relative so he could buy one more case of chicken.
- "A week later is when things started doing amazing," he says. "It was literally like a movie, insane."
What's next: Ibrahim says he's squirreling away all his profits, hoping to fund a large-scale expansion.
- "I want to build this into like the next In-N-Out," he says. "But it's like take it step by step. I know we're in a grocery store, but give it five to 10 years."
If you go: Tallow is inside the Fresh Grocer at Cedarbrook Plaza Shopping Center, at 1000 Easton Road.