Reopen Toni's Famous Soul Burgers Restaurant!

Let me tell you about soul burgers, a signature burger with a unique twist. Soul food on a bun, bursting with flavors that surprise you with every bite. Your taste buds explode as you experience and fall in love with this all-time favorite burger.

A seasoned turkey patty that’s topped with your favorite soul food dishes, such as southern style collard greens and sweet tasty yams. You can make this a combo, with a lil of both under one bun. Or, get one with mac n cheese, or smothered gravy, sauteéd onions, and your grandmother’s holiday dressing with cranberry sauce. You can also choose a fried fish or a tender crispy juicy chicken as your protein. Each burger is standard with an egg, turkey bacon, and a secret sauce that will leave you craving more.

Now how did this burger come to be?

Ms. Toni Malone Swanson started cooking soul burgers at her home in Inglewood 40 years ago. A single mom, always optimizing her finances while expressing her creativity, was preparing a meal for her kids after the holidays and decided to add these toppings to her already personally-named “T burgers.” It was such a hit with them, she decided to cook them for her dad’s church and see what people thought. Again–it was an even bigger hit. So it quickly became a request from family and friends and developed into Sunday Soul Burger days at her complex.

After a few years, Toni’s dreams of becoming an entrepreneur came to fruition. With little help and not much education, but plenty of ambition and talent, she opened a restaurant, Wynell’s Soul Food, in Inglewood in the early eighties. Toni made this dream a reality and was the premier chef as she cooked, managed the business, and taught herself accounting and advertising, all while being a mom. Toni owns the trademark for the soul burger because this innovative, delicious concept is something no one has done before (Patent & Trademark Office Registration #3,733,094).

After the restaurant opened, she continued to follow her passions. When she wasn’t working at Wynell’s, she pursued her love for music. She was a singing cook, doing local shows and establishing a resume as a singer and performer. As she grew in demand, she arrived at a crossroads to make a decision between her music and her cooking. She put her cooking on hold and closed the restaurant.

Toni’s singing and entertainment career took off and she went on the road for more than 30 years as a professional singer and actress. After she became a grandma, Toni opened another restaurant in Inglewood, but this time, just featuring burgers. Prince came by, telling Toni, “I heard about these soul burgers!” Soul Burgers restaurant was featured on Food Network’s Outrageous Food, Channel 7 & 9 News, Dining Out in LA, the Times, and the LA Times.

This time, her restaurant didn’t survive Covid.

Fast forward to today—Toni is a grandmother of 7 and recently a great-grandma. She is still burning with the dream of cooking and making a comeback for a third time, because it’s a highly requested, innovative burger that will make its mark on this generation.

Together, we can join forces as a community and make the magic of Soul Burgers a reality again for all of us. With your generous help, Toni will be able to open a Soul Burgers food truck to serve her hometown of Inglewood and the surrounding neighborhoods.

A food truck is a lower barrier to entry than a brick-and-mortar restaurant, and will have lower maintenance costs, making it more resilient to handle any future adversities.

We need your help donating what you can with your time, ideas, and cash. Your prayers and positive vibes are all a part of making Toni’s dream a success. Let’s help her make it happen – #soulburger back by popular demand!

Soul burgers are life-changing. But don’t just take it from us. Hear it from the community:

“Soul Burgers still offers the best turkey burgers in the country and Toni is still one of the nicest owners I have ever met. I had a craving for sweet meets savory meets ‘god damn that was good!’ and Soul Burger obliterated that craving.”- Eli G.

“Quaint, clean little spot with oh so friendly and welcoming family taking your orders…One bite and WOW. Easily THE most unique pork chop burger I have EVER had.....tender, juicy, well seasoned pork chop, tangy greens, sweet yams, salty, savory egg, creamy, rich mac and cheese ALL balanced very well with that spicy sauce! The sheer amount of flavor packed into such a tiny "slider" was absurd...in a GREAT way. Without a doubt, THE most original and best turkey burger I have ever had.” - Cesar R.

“When Toni first told me about her burger, it didn’t make much sense to me. I mean why would I want yams and greens on my burger? I've always been a plain cheeseburger type of guy. Then I had one... and ‘WOW.’ It opened my mind to a whole new world of ‘flavorful goodness.’ Now I am a 20+ year "Soul Burger" disciple. Toni Malone’s soul burger is not only A Soul Food Meal In A Bun; it's an ’Experience’! And every time I eat one, it is as good as the first time I had it.” -LaVan Davis, Actor/Comedian/Musician

Our fundraising goal is $50,000 to help with Toni's startup costs. Here’s a breakdown of how the funds will be used:

Startup Costs

$30,000 - Food truck rental for 6 months

$15,000 - Cookware, payment system

$5,000 - Services (wifi, insurance, health, business, and food licensing)

Thank you for contributing what you can, by giving ideas, prayers, cash, or spreading the word--it makes a huge difference!