A Toast To Lamb Scrapple, Second Chances, and Loosening the Reins with Out West

Out West is a mission-driven, for-profit coffee shop and cafe in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, owned and operated by Muhammad Abdul-Hadi, winner of a 2024 James Beard Award for Leadership. Mike Carter serves at the helm as Culinary Director and Executive Chef. Drawing from their own experiences with the prison industrial system, Out West exclusively hires people who are formerly incarcerated, with the goal of helping returning citizens secure jobs and reducing recidivism. 

Toast creates technology to help restaurants and local businesses succeed in a digital world. The "Toast to..." series celebrates the people at the heart of those businesses and their communities. We sat down with Abdul-Hadi and Carter to learn about their journey to restaurants, their mission-driven business, and vibrant menu.

Muhammad, tell us a little bit about your mission for Out West. What made you choose restaurants? 

Muhammad Abdul-Hadi: Our mission is to provide opportunities for those who’ve been formerly incarcerated, understanding the trials and tribulations that they go through when they come back into society. Getting something as simple as a job can be really difficult, but it’s a necessity. I thought it was a good idea for me to start a business with that mission, myself being justice-impacted and knowing how hard it was for me to get a job. I saw how my life was directly impacted by having that ‘life-sentence’ as a convict, as we call it. Whatever you do, whether it's 20 or 40 years ago, it follows you for the rest of your life. 

I started off with a pizza shop, Down North. Food will always be a good vehicle to carry the message—everyone loves food and worldwide, everyone understands pizza. That was the idea, and we ran with it. And from there, we started building Out West.

Mike, tell us about yourself and your journey to restaurants.

Mike Carter: I’m the Culinary Director and Executive Chef for the whole restaurant group, starting with Down North Pizza, and now I’m mostly at Out West, our new cafe and breakfast sandwich spot.

Muhammad, tell us a little bit about your mission for Out West. What made you choose restaurants? 

Muhammad Abdul-Hadi: Our mission is to provide opportunities for those who’ve been formerly incarcerated, understanding the trials and tribulations that they go through when they come back into society. Getting something as simple as a job can be really difficult, but it’s a necessity. I thought it was a good idea for me to start a business with that mission, myself being justice-impacted and knowing how hard it was for me to get a job. I saw how my life was directly impacted by having that ‘life-sentence’ as a convict, as we call it. Whatever you do, whether it's 20 or 40 years ago, it follows you for the rest of your life. 

I started off with a pizza shop, Down North. Food will always be a good vehicle to carry the message—everyone loves food and worldwide, everyone understands pizza. That was the idea, and we ran with it. And from there, we started building Out West.

M A-H: These past few weeks, getting ready for Out West’s grand opening—I’ve been waking up early in the morning to get here. I’m a barista and responsible for the beverage menu here. I’ve been doing a lot of training our staff, going to specialty shops to get certain ingredients, and working on the line. We close here at 4 p.m., and then I’ll head out to the other restaurant, Down North Pizza,  to make sure everything is cool. The last few weeks have been pretty busy to say the least—good busy.

How do you think about menu development, and what you’re putting on your menu? 

MC: I develop the menus in the way that I eat—I love flavor marriages. My nickname is “The Flavor Regulator.” Have you ever seen the movie “Young Guns”? That’s what I feel like I’m doing in the industry. I want to bring things together that aren’t traditional, but I know go together real bad—the sweet with the spicy, the sour, the fatty, the salty. I’ll try to blend it all and provide each element inside of every dish that we have.

Muhammad, tell us a little bit about your mission for Out West. What made you choose restaurants? 

Muhammad Abdul-Hadi: Our mission is to provide opportunities for those who’ve been formerly incarcerated, understanding the trials and tribulations that they go through when they come back into society. Getting something as simple as a job can be really difficult, but it’s a necessity. I thought it was a good idea for me to start a business with that mission, myself being justice-impacted and knowing how hard it was for me to get a job. I saw how my life was directly impacted by having that ‘life-sentence’ as a convict, as we call it. Whatever you do, whether it's 20 or 40 years ago, it follows you for the rest of your life. 

I started off with a pizza shop, Down North. Food will always be a good vehicle to carry the message—everyone loves food and worldwide, everyone understands pizza. That was the idea, and we ran with it. And from there, we started building Out West.

And then lastly is our Korean fried chicken sandwich. I’m grinding the chicken thighs down myself into chicken sausage. It’s deep-fried until it gets crispy, and we serve it with an over-medium egg, kimchi pickles, and chili crisp. This is one of the things I’m really proud of—everything is made in-house.

M A-H: Strawberry basil matcha is a fan favorite. It’s a strawberry basil syrup—we make all our syrups in-house—with macadamia almond milk, matcha, and then I make a creamy cold foam that goes on top. It’s a good-looking drink. People will take a picture of your products if they look pretty and taste good. Someone else will see that picture and want to come in. I’m a stickler for aesthetics because word-of-mouth marketing is key.

What is the hardest part of your job? And then what is the most rewarding? 

MC: The most rewarding part is the people. It’s always about the people. I’m in the hospitality industry because I love to host people. A friend of a friend will come in or I get a message, and they’re like “Yeah. Your cousin sent me here. I’m not disappointed. Keep it up.” That happens a lot, and it’s a really beautiful thing. That’s what I do it for. 

The hardest part is loosening the reins. The menu is my baby—Out West has been in the works since the year after we opened Down North, and now that everything has come full circle, I can’t be on the line cooking every single thing, can’t be overseeing everything that’s happening. 

M A-H: I’ve been in leadership for almost 15 years and I always tell people the hardest part of being a business owner is managing personalities. The most rewarding part is seeing individuals, like Mike, for example, come in and thrive in this space, and continue on to build his own legacy. I do it for the impact we’ll have on individuals’ lives.

Muhammad, what advice do you have for other entrepreneurs like yourself who are considering integrating a strong social impact mission into their business? 

M A-H: It has to be something in your heart. If you’re only doing it to try and get media attention, your team around you will pick up on that and then it becomes something that’s not sincere. Make sure it’s in your heart, something that you either have a personal connection to or care for deeply. Our business model works for us and we’ve created something beautiful that we’re able to thrive within and want to continue.

At Toast, we’re focused on the little things that elevate a good dining experience into a great one. What seemingly little thing that you do to show your guests exceptional hospitality? 

MC: We have a library in our restaurant, upstairs from the main area. People are lining up to get in there! It’s a spot that I feel like is not in West Philly or anywhere else, but people are finally like, “We have a space here.”  We have awesome books about hip hop culture, Black culture, and Black creators. It’s cool shit that you probably didn’t know you wanted to know about. That’s one of the little touches that I love. 

How do you use Toast technology at work? 

MC: I’m just learning Toast, but I love the timer on your system to let you know order fulfillment times. I’m seasoned on the line, so I automatically know how much time I have between every order, but when I’m training somebody, it helps them to stay focused. I’m a stickler about getting everything out within 15 minutes. 

M A-H: It’s been great! Working in kitchens and having multiple screens, with our orders going back to the beverage station and the kitchen, really streamlines our service. It’s been an amazing feat. Hats off to Toast for that!

At Toast, it’s our mission to help restaurants thrive - what does “thriving” mean to you? What does a thriving restaurant look like? 

M A-H: Thriving is about the customer experience and having customers who come repeatedly. We’ve had people visit Out West every single day since we’ve opened. People are telling me that this neighborhood has nothing like it so they’ve been coming and supporting us. You know you’re thriving when you’re giving the people what they want, and they can enjoy and appreciate it. Especially in a neighborhood like this one that has had its trials and tribulations. This restaurant is around the corner from my childhood house, so the area has sentimental value to me.

Who in the industry would you like to toast? 

MC: David Chang! I’m watching his shows on Netflix. I’ve been around a lot of people in the industry, like Marcus Samuelsson and all kinds of James-Beard Award-winning chefs, and I’m thinking how come I haven’t met David yet! I would definitely like to kick it with him, he seems like a pretty cool guy.

Muhammad, tell us a little bit about your mission for Out West. What made you choose restaurants? 

Muhammad Abdul-Hadi: Our mission is to provide opportunities for those who’ve been formerly incarcerated, understanding the trials and tribulations that they go through when they come back into society. Getting something as simple as a job can be really difficult, but it’s a necessity. I thought it was a good idea for me to start a business with that mission, myself being justice-impacted and knowing how hard it was for me to get a job. I saw how my life was directly impacted by having that ‘life-sentence’ as a convict, as we call it. Whatever you do, whether it's 20 or 40 years ago, it follows you for the rest of your life. 

I started off with a pizza shop, Down North. Food will always be a good vehicle to carry the message—everyone loves food and worldwide, everyone understands pizza. That was the idea, and we ran with it. And from there, we started building Out West.

This interview was edited for space and clarity. 

Muhammad Abdul-Hadi is the Owner and Founder of Out West. Mike Carter is the Executive Chef and Culinary Director at Out West. To learn more about Out West, you can visit their website or follow them on Instagram.