CLEVELAND, Ohio—Nikki Evans knows how to keep people coming back.
- The owner lost her mother and sister to pancreatic cancer and opened the restaurant to honor them
- The restaurant uses a “Pay It Forward” board to help others in need
- They donate a portion of their sales to pancreatic cancer awareness and research
“My restaurant is a small to-go restaurant... we specialize in pastelitos, Sazon chicken, chicken wings, Cuban sandwiches, pretty much anything you could want!” said Nikki Evans, owner Nikki’s Good 2 Go.
“Pastelitos by far, and the rice, the rice is great. I come here at least once a week,” said Don Kelly, a customer from Elyria.
The fried turnovers filled with seasoned ground beef or shredded chicken are among the favorites at Nikki’s.
“I love that it’s a small place in the community and it has really good food, and you can definitely tell it’s hard-working hands that have been put on the food, it’s really good,” said Brandon Woodall, a customer from Cleveland.
Evans’ passion for cooking is her way to honor her mother and sister.
Her restaurant is a way to help others fight the battle they both lost.
“My mom and my sister both passed away from pancreatic cancer, they both fought one heck of a fight, and the purple just gives us a chance to honor them, and we donate a portion of our sales to pancreatic cancer awareness and research,” said Evans.
With reminders literally on the wall that it’s a battle worth fighting.
“When my mother was diagnosed, she told me and my sister that she is putting her boxing gloves on and she’s gonna fight with everything she had… when my baby sister was diagnosed, we bought her the boxing gloves that say ‘Fight Like a Girl.’
And while she may have lost them both to cancer, she believes helping others is a way to heal, and the “Pay it Forward Board” is how she does it.
“It gives us a chance to help people in need. So, our customers are amazing, they come in, and they purchase menu items, and they hang it up on the board, and if someone is hungry or down on their luck or just can’t afford a good meal, they can come in, no questions asked, pull off the board, and we redeem them,” said Evans. “I’ve had a rough life, and to be able to be in a position to help somebody is one of the best feelings in the world.”
