One year later, couple reflects on buying West Philadelphia restaurant

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A local couple made national news when they purchased one of West Philadelphia's favorite restaurants.

Now, they're looking back on that big purchase and forward to the possibilities.

Cheri and Tracey Syphax said they felt drawn to Booker's, a treasured restaurant in West Philadelphia that went up for sale just about a year ago.

"If you would have told me three years ago that I'd own Booker's restaurant, I'd be like what? No way," said Cheri Syphax.

With neither having owned a restaurant before, the multi-million-dollar buy made national headlines.

"It was just a great opportunity all the way around and the numbers made sense, and if the numbers make sense, there you go," Tracey said.

One year later, business is still booming.

The Syphaxes didn't mess with the favorites, but they did make a few tweaks to the Booker's menu including dishes curated to celebrate Black History Month.

"We want to make sure we're paying homage to those who came before us and who gave us cuisine," Cheri said.

They said that is also what inspires them to give back.