Geneva Wade and her husband, Kenny, owned a handful of restaurants in Savannah during the 80’s and 90’s. Through these ventures, and her famous fried chicken and cornbread, she built a reputation for delicious Southern cooking.
When she was ready to get back into restaurant ownership, Wade reached out to the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center (UGA SBDC) for help securing the capital needed for her newest enterprise, Geneva’s Famous Chicken and Cornbread Co.
Since that first meeting in 2016, UGA SBDC’s continued support has not only helped Wade successfully launch her restaurant but has enabled her to expand her business, doubling its size and workforce, while maintaining strong year-over-year revenue growth.
Wade was introduced to Becky Brownlee, area director at the UGA SBDC in Savannah, in 2016 through the Small Business Assistance Corporation (SBAC), a Community Development Financial Institution offering loans and assistance to businesses in southeast Georgia and South Carolina’s low country.
“For two years, we worked on a business plan and financial projections, making sure that we weren’t just guessing but using actual numbers right down to contractor quotes and equipment expenses,” said Brownlee.
With UGA SBDC’s assistance, Wade secured her first loan from SBAC in September 2018, which, along with a tenant improvement allowance and personal equity, helped her take the crucial steps to make her restaurant concept, Geneva’s Famous Chicken and Cornbread Co., a reality.
Over the next six months, Wade worked with Brownlee to address many of the start-up needs, including marketing, website development, financial education and analysis, human resources and accounting.
Although Wade’s previous restaurants had closed decades ago, many people in Savannah remembered her and came back for her signature recipes when her new restaurant welcomed its first customers in February 2019.
“When she opened, the accountant and everyone were just blown away by the numbers that she was posting out of such a small place,” said Brownlee. “There were lines out the door and crazy social media. It just blew up and it was so exciting.”
Everything is made from scratch at Geneva’s. The menu features Wade’s famous chicken, which is hand-battered and made to order, and their homemade cornbread, which comes in a variety of flavors, including blueberry, jalapeño, or pecan, and can with paired with one of their flavored butter spreads.
“We don’t serve canned products or things like that. All the greens are fresh and cut in-house. We make all our sauces. We make all our spreads. We only carry free-range chicken, and our seafood is all wild caught,” said Wade. “It’s one of the reasons I know we are so busy. There is nowhere that you can go and get this really, great wholesome food.”
The COVID pandemic did little to slow the restaurant’s growth. By the end of its second year of operation in 2021, Geneva’s Famous Chicken had doubled its first-year revenue. Wade was able to hire five full-time and four part-time employees to work with her, her husband and her daughter.
“This is a restaurant that had started one year before the pandemic closed all restaurants for a period,” said Brownlee. “Yet Wade did extremely well with takeout orders, and today it is still a big part of her business.”
In 2022, Wade contacted Brownlee to develop a business plan and projections for an expansion into an adjacent space. With the UGA SBDC’s assistance, Wade secured additional financing through SBAC in June 2023.
The expansion doubled the size of the restaurant to around 2,500 square feet and increased seating capacity from 28 to 50. New outdoor seating can also accommodate an additional 16 guests.
“The kitchen expanded. We added a bathroom. We added more prep area and a walk-in cooler/freezer, and now we have all the equipment we need,” said Wade. “The expansion allowed us to meet our needs and service the public in a more effective way.”
The restaurant closed for renovations in December 2023 and reopened in March 2024 to even more business than before. Wade now employs 22 staff members, and revenue continues to grow year after year.
“I can’t even begin to tell you the gratitude, the commitment, the love, the attention, even the enthusiasm that people from SBAC and the UGA SBDC have given me. They have been very supportive of me. All I can say is thank you, thank you, thank you, UGA SBDC.”
All programs of the UGA SBDC are open to the public on a non-discriminatory basis. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance.
Funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.
The University of Georgia
Small Business Development Center
382 East Broad Street
Athens, GA 30602-5412
P: (706) 542-2762
