How I went from prison to owning a restaurant that brings in over $1 million a year

Ali Elreda cut the ribbon on his restaurant Fatima’s Grill in 2016, three years after completing a six-year sentence for a drug charge. Last year, the Downey, California-based location brought in more than $1 million in revenue, selling a fusion of Mexican and Lebanese cuisine in eye-catching, Instagram-ready style. Fatima’s Grill also has franchise locations in the Los Angeles area, Brooklyn, New York, and Denton, Texas — and Elreda says he’s working on opening more across the U.S. and Canada.