Sammy McDowell didn't set out to create anything more than a restaurant. But Sammy's Avenue Eatery has become ‘the Cheers bar’ for people of all walks of life in north Minneapolis.

Sammy talks about making it through a year that has been ruinous for restaurants, small businesses and Black-owned businesses. He weathered COVID-19 shutdowns and the civil unrest, with neighbors turning his cafe into a hub for donations and volunteer security operations.

And, he talks about becoming an accidental bridge builder when he opened a second location in a predominantly white neighborhood.