Ghost Kitchens Helps Restaurateur Thrive in Pandemic

Keep cool as the weather warms by hanging up your apron and having a delicious meal delivered from one of Philadelphia’s hottest new ghost kitchens! Big Rube’s Kitchen serves up Chef Reuben Harley’s signature fried chicken, Philly cheesesteak and halal beef burgers from its ghost restaurant locations in Center City, University City and Subaru Park. Delivery is available through Grubhub, Uber Eats, DoorDash and Postmates. Aaron Anderson, franchise owner of four Original Hot Dog Factory restaurants, partnered with Chef Reuben Harley to launch the new business in 2020. While nearly half of Black-owned businesses were forced to close during the pandemic, renowned Philadelphia entrepreneur Anderson found creative ways to not only stay open, but to also grow, by pivoting and adapting to current trends. “I will do all I can to make sure I can not only thrive during this time but will motivate others to do the same,” said Anderson. In addition to his four Original Hot Dog Factory locations in Center City, The Bourse Food Hall, Fishtown and Subaru Park, in summer 2020 he opened another franchise in Philadelphia and is in negotiations for one in New York. Menu items include the Jamaican Jerk Chicken Dog, topped with grilled pineapples, sweet onions and a sweet island sauce; a surf ‘n’ turf dog; an all-beet hot dog topped with lump crab meat and the Italian dog, a deep-fried sausage topped with peppers and onion. The Original Hot Dog Factory also serves chicken wings, burgers, fries and corn dog nuggets. Anderson credits some of his success during the pandemic to catering to first responders and essential workers, and making sure all his employees and take-out customers are in a safe environment to prevent the spread of COVID-19, with social distancing, face masks and the installation of self-service kiosks. Born and raised in the tough inner city of Philadelphia, Anderson credits his mother, a single parent of five, with his unyielding strength, discipline, humility, passion and persistent need to be of service to those in need. Anderson’s foray into being a business owner — the very first in his family — started with the launch of his own screen-printing company in 2009, Union Printing. The idea to start this company culminated while working as an assistant to a top record company executive at Sony in New York City. Anderson realized a need to provide quality merchandise for an affordable price after seeing an invoice at work and convinced his bosses that he could not only meet the demand for the record label’s printing, but most importantly, for a far better price. As the saying goes, the rest is history. Anderson not only surpassed expectations at Sony, but Union Printing established itself as a leader in the industry and is still hugely successful more than a decade later. Anderson’s success with Union Printing provided not only financial stability, but also the experience needed to open his first restaurant franchise in March 2020, which he did without needing any loans. His immediate success within The Original Hot Dog Factory organization led to him becoming an area representative, trainer for new franchisees and obtaining a percentage of company ownership. Anderson also recently acquired two Rita’s Italian Ice locations in Philadelphia, adding to his growing franchise empire. His keen interest in technology prompted him to become an investor in the pharmaceutical application QwikScript and flight simulator application Flype. These strategic investments contribute to his growing financial portfolio and further strengthens his parent company Axxeum LLC, which was formed in 2018. In line with his desire to give back to the community, he became a member of Philadelphia’s Chamber of Commerce and The Pyramid Club. Anderson is an investor in Storehouse, a cannabis chain in New Jersey. His future plans include becoming an elected official in his home state of Pennsylvania. An inspirational memoir about his life is also in the works to provide invaluable information and encouragement to others who desire to follow in his footsteps. 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