The newest member of the Oakland Raiders is returning to his hometown with a bang. Marshawn "Beast Mode" Lynch, a UC Berkeley and Oakland Tech alum and owner of Beast Mode clothing store in Old Oakland, will expand his Bay Area empire with the recent purchase of Scend's restaurant on San Pablo Avenue near the Oakland/Emeryville border.
79-year-old Cassie Nickelson, the long-time owner of the popular soul-food restaurant, is planning to retire next year and Lynch purchased the spot in order to keep it open. Nickelson will turn over the license and building next month.
“I’m comfortable with him and I like him,” she told KTVU. “When he was 9-years-old, he came across the street to get a hamburger and French fries — 25-cent French fries and a 75-cent hamburger.”
While locals hope classics like fried chicken, prawns, chicken wings and red beans stay on the menu, there's sure to be some changes at the old school restaurant (though probably not much).
Raiders quarterback Derek Carr discussed Lynch’s love for his hometown on SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Radio.
“What he means to the City of Oakland… the things that he does in the community… Not only for the kids, but for adults as well. It’s endless,” he said. “He’s always trying to better his own community.”