Shabazz celebrates 30 years, still hits the mark

ALBANY — Shabazz Fish Supreme will celebrate its 30-year anniversary on June 8. Gordon Hall has managed the family-owned restaurant since it opened in 1988. What’s kept its doors open for so long is a mix of good food, good company and good service.

According to Hall, the Shabazz name has been in Albany for at least 50 years. The restaurant originally started on Albany State University’s campus on Holly Drive. However, it wasn’t until 18 years of employment at the Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. ended abruptly that Hall opened his restaurant under that Shabazz name.

“I lost my job to the (Firestone) plant closure, and I was looking to go into business,” Hall said. “I decided upon the restaurant business. I know that I had eaten at Shabazzes over the years, and I wanted to do the fish. I knew the owner of the previous Shabazz who owned the name. We play golf together. I asked him on the golf course one day, ‘Could I use the Shabazz name again?’ He said, ‘Well, yes, go ahead and use it.’ That’s how I got the name of my business and this is what inspired me to carry the product.”

Hall said that everything made at the restaurant is made from scratch, no pre-processed food.

“We make our own fish batter, chicken batter, we make our own hush puppy mix that’s different from anybody else’s,” Hall said. “No one copies what we do.”

Hall revealed that they don’t use meal in their hush puppies and fish batter at Shabazz because it “is not a good digestive source.”

“We grill as well as fry our food,” he said. “Your choice. We try to cook as healthy as you like to eat. Most times, when you eat our food, the taste of it, in general, will make you come back. If the hush puppies don’t get you, if the Shabazz Punch don’t get you, the taste of our chicken or whatever will get you. One of those items is gonna get you. You’ll be coming back for it.”

Honestly, I wasn’t prepared for how right he would be.

Once I’d selected my meal, Hall told me it would be ready in eight minutes. After I noted how specific a time that is, he replied, “Once I get the order and give it to the cook, 10 minutes is the max to get it out of the kitchen.”

But just because Hall’s got the timing down to a science doesn’t mean his presentation lacks artistry.

I’ll admit that I’m used to my Southern cuisine having certain qualities, mainly being heavy, greasy and savory. To that end, it had been a while since I’d encountered a burger that had all the flavors I enjoy without draining some grease on the buns and being just as filling. The burger had toasted buns, cheese that melted slightly onto the beef patty, crisp lettuce and a tomato with just the right amount of condiments on the top bun. All of this formed a flavorful taste that will not leave my memory for a good minute.

The burger was accompanied by fries, none of which were burnt or oversalted. One thing I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy as much as I did was the Shabazz Punch. Hall told me that it’s made from a “secret recipe,” so that knowledge made it all the more enticing. After tasting it, the flavors were distinct enough for me to understand why Hall referred to it as the restaurant’s “signature drink.” The sweet, unexpectedly creamy punch had hints of pineapple and other fruits. Its chill is just the thing to take someone’s mind off of the summer heat.

When I asked what Hall thinks has been keeping people coming back to Shabazz for 30 years, he said, “What we try to do is deliver a quality product each time; we have great prices and we try to give the best service possible. You’re never short on food when you come to Shabazz.”

Hall said that while food is the main attraction at Shabazz Fish Supreme, people like the restaurant for other reasons.

“We have a wholesome environment where people come in, sit, talk, feel comfortable,” he said. “We have great conversations in the restaurant. That’s what happens at Shabazz. Everybody feels comfortable. One thing I’ve done over the last 30 years is I’ve tried to know the customers. I try to establish a small relationship with them where I just don’t want them as only a customer. That way, we feel bonded together.”

Shabazz Fish Supreme is located at 241 E. Oglethorpe Blvd. Customers can call at (229) 435-9148.