Ket’s Empire Restaurant: The New Kid on the Block
by: Busola Awobode
“Tell me if you like it,” says the owner Kettia Auguste as a customer picks up their to-go plate from the counter. “I know I will,” shouts the customer leaving excitedly with their newfound feast—creamy mac and cheese, stewed fall-off the bone oxtail, fried golden plantains on the side. The food smells as good as it looks, and it is just as delectable. I place my modest order of jerk chicken with bell peppers and onions smothered on, some yellow rice and thick-cut fried plantain and wait. Once it is ready, I pick it up, exiting the small orange restaurant resting on the corner of a busy street in Fall River. Sitting on a small lot just walking distance from Kentucky Fried Chicken and CVS Pharmacy, it is easy for this place to feel inconspicuous at first, but once you spot it, it is hard to miss it. It is quaint yet unforgettable and one is guaranteed to return for its authentic Caribbean-style food among the other dishes its menu boasts.
Ket’s Empire Restaurant, located at 10 Plymouth Ave, is Fall River’s newest spot for good food. If one is looking for spicy grilled jerk chicken or slowly simmered curry goat on rice, Ket’s is where one stops. Auguste, the Haiti-born owner and cook is promised to deliver a taste of home cooking in every dish. However, while the restaurant specializes in Caribbean-style flavors, their menu consists of more general
non-Caribbean items as well. Ket’s Empire boasts of hamburgers, clam chowder soup, spaghetti alfredo pasta, salmon or fried turkey with rice, tacos with beef and so more. And their portions are served in lunch and dinner sizes perfect for singular or family meals at any moment in the day.
Having opened only two months ago against the backdrop of the ongoing pandemic, Auguste says that Ket’s Empire is actively working to build clientele. However, having recently joined door dash and UberEATS, Auguste has seen an increase in business and hopes that with delivery, patronage will continue to climb. Meanwhile, they also continue to serve food through take-out and pick-up orders. Given the restaurant’s capacity for limited sit-in orders, Auguste expresses the hope to also have dine-in later in the future when the pandemic eases and becomes more accommodating.
Additionally, Auguste who previously owned a part-time food truck-based business hopes to continue serving Ket’s Empire food through the food truck. She expresses that warmer weather is more conducive for trucks and hopes to be on the road sometime during the summer in locations such as Boston, Taunton, and southeastern Massachusetts. So, for those who are unable to catch Ket’s Empire in Fall River, it would be worth looking out for the Ket’s Empire food truck once the weather warms up. Additionally, Auguste hopes to provide catering for events and parties around Southeastern Massachusetts and as far as Boston. Other future ventures for the restaurant include a breakfast menu and expansive ice-cream options.
Ket’s Empire Website:http://ketsempirerestauranticecream.com/
