We’re proud to announce A Seat at the Table: The Making of Busboys and Poets, the new memoir from our CEO and Founder, which reveals the vision, challenges, and triumphs behind opening Busboys and Poets.

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Packed with misadventures, unexpected triumphs, and insights on race, business and politics, Andy Shallal’s memoir takes us on a “How I Built This” journey.

Along the way, we get to savor the delicious cuisine and unique ethos for which Busboys and Poets has become famous.

Now available in stores. Picked up your signed copies at Busboys and Poets

 “Shallal’s is a singular story, told here with the focus on big ideas and love of community that have propelled him over the years.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Magnificent. It brought tears many times.”
—Alice Walker

“A fast-moving memoir…Read on and relish.”
—Ralph Nader

“A page turner from soup to nuts.”
—Medea Benjamin

PRESS FOR “A Seat at the Table”

WashingtonianBusboys and Poets Owner Andy Shallal on Mixing Politics and Business A new memoir reveals the restaurateur’s early years.

Publishers WeeklyBreaking Bread: PW Talks with Andy Shallal


Upcoming Appearances

The Making of Busboys and Poets

A Seat at the Table: The Making of Busboys and Poets

We’re proud to announce A Seat at the Table: The Making of Busboys and Poets, the new memoir from our CEO and Founder, which reveals the vision, challenges, and triumphs behind opening Busboys and Poets. Packed with misadventures, unexpected triumphs, and insights on race, business and politics, Andy Shallal’s memoir takes us on a “How I Built … Continued

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For Langston Hughes on His 123 Birthday

Speech given on February 1, 2024 in Havana, Cuba In 1927 Langston Hughes walked into a Cuba amid an emerging community of artists, intellectuals, and radicals.  He saw a “sunrise in a new land [– a day – in his words]sic – full of brownskin surprises, and hitherto unknown contacts in a world of color.”  … Continued

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Palestine Week 2024

January 18, 2024 – January 25, 2024 In keeping with our ongoing mission of uplifting racial and cultural connections, Busboys and Poets is hosting Palestine Week (January 18 through January 25, 2024). This week-long series of events will offer a diverse range of programming featuring Palestinian food, music, dance, poetry, discussions, and other enriching events. … Continued

Website WCGA 2.0 Accessible Verified by Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind

Website WCGA 2.0 Accessible Verified by Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind

Proud to announce that after working with the Accessibility Assurance Department at Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind, the Busboys and Poets website scored a 92% accessibility compliance against WCAG 2.0 level AA. This means that individuals who require alternative access to printed digital content will have comparable access and use of the website as do … Continued

Busboys and Poets Books Review: My Guantanamo Diary

Busboys and Poets Books Review: My Guantanamo Diary

Have you set a goal or a resolution for the New Year? As I’m reading My Guantanamo Diary (PublicAffairs $14.99), by Mahvish Rukhsana Khan for an upcoming literary club with a dramatic twist (details to follow), I’d like to encourage you to consider participation in the arts as a worthy goal for 2018. Artists, writers … Continued