When banks said no, Motor City Match said yes: First CVI recipient opens restaurant after incarceration

• Moma G's is the first Community Violence Intervention (CVI) grant recipient to open and 197th Motor City Match business opening
• Young received $100,000 from Motor City Match - $75,000 cash grant and $25,000 CVI award - after banks denied him financing
• Restaurant serves viral smash burgers, chili dogs and daily specials under $5
• Motor City Match has awarded $21 million in cash grants; 85% of overall winners are minority-owned, 73% are women-owned, and 69% are operated by Detroit residents

Darryl Young stood inside the vacant Coney Island building he'd just purchased in 2021, remembering how his mother used to bring him there as a child. She had dreamed of opening a pantry and restaurant to feed their west side neighborhood. She died in 2008, before she could make it happen. At the time, Young was three years away from a prison sentence that would take seven years of his life.

Today, Young celebrated the official grand opening of Moma G's, a fast-casual carryout restaurant at 10801 W. Chicago St. in the Barton-McFarland neighborhood. With $100,000 in financial support from Motor City Match's Cash and Community Violence Intervention (CVI) program tracks, Young was able to renovate his restaurant, serving up breakfast, lunch and dinner. Among popular items are the viral Smash Burger - featuring two beef patties, pickles, American cheese, grilled onions, and Moma G's secret sauce - chili fries, wing dings and daily specials for $5 or less.

The restaurant, named after his late mother, represents both a personal redemption story and a milestone for Detroit's small business community - it's the first recipient of the CVI grant to open its doors and 197th Motor City Match business opening.

"I didn't get the opportunity to let her see me become the man I was going to be," Young said. "I wanted to honor my mother's name. I did what she wanted me to do and turned my life around."

Young was convicted in 2011 and later sentenced to prison. During his incarceration, he earned his GED, a culinary arts certificate and several hospitality and food safety certifications. Released in 2018, he returned to Detroit's Barton-MacFarland neighborhood with a renewed purpose.

When banks denied him financing due to his criminal record, his attorney informed him about Motor City Match. Young applied and received $100,000 - $75,000 from the program's standard Cash track and $25,000 through its CVI track, a partnership between the City and six Shotstoppers organizations aimed at reducing violence through economic opportunity.

"This is why we created the CVI track," said Deputy Mayor Melia Howard. "When someone like Darryl commits to turning their life around and gives back to their community, we need to meet them halfway. He's showing young people in his neighborhood that your past doesn't have to be your future."

The CVI funding came after Young began volunteering with The People's Action Detroit, one of the City's partner organizations, where he mentored at-risk youth and shared his story. His work with the group, led by president Negus Vu, strengthened his application and made him eligible for the additional support.

The $100,000 investment, combined with technical assistance on his business plan and financial projections, allowed Young to renovate the long-vacant building into a bright, welcoming neighborhood eatery.

"Motor City Match often bets on Detroiters when nobody else will," said Sean Gray, vice president of small business services at the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, responsible for managing Motor City Match. "Darryl got turned down by every bank because of his record, but we saw what the banks didn't - a man with a solid plan, real skills and deep roots in his community. Now he's employing his family, feeding his neighbors, and proving that second chances work."

Deputy Mayor Melia Howard embracing Darryl Young after cutting the ribbon.

Since opening in June, Moma G's viral smash burger has drawn customers from across the state and a few out-of-towners. The restaurant operates seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., with a drive-thru launching soon. Young's son and family members work alongside him.

"My goal is to show others that it's never too late to rewrite your story," Young said. "I want my kids and my community to know that if I can do it, they can too."

Through 29 rounds of Motor City Match:

• Total cash grants: $21 million (Total leveraged investment: $110 million)
• 85% of awardees are minority-owned
• 73% are women-owned
• 69% are owned by Detroit residents

About Motor City Match

Motor City Match is a unique partnership between the City of Detroit, the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC), the Economic Development Corporation of the City of Detroit (EDC) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Competitive financial assistance is supported by a broad partnership of Southeast Michigan community development financial institutions and corporations including, Bank of America, Fifth Third Bank, Ford Foundation, Hudson Webber Foundation, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Knight Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, New Economy Initiative and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Motor City Match applications are available quarterly. More information is available at MotorCityMatch.com.