Lunchtime at Nana Morrison’s Soul Food in Port St. Lucie is quite the bustling scene. Hungry diners stream though the doors, mouths watering at the aroma of fried chicken wafting from the kitchen. In their midst, owner Hank Morrison deftly floats from the cash register to the prep line to the dining room, ensuring that the restaurant’s signature food goes from kitchen to customers’ plates without a hitch. The ease with which Morrison runs Nana’s is a skill many restaurant owners spend decades trying to master. At just 20 years old, Morrison already has it down pat.
Morrison grew up in the restaurant business, the son of Kiana and Shawn, who opened the original Nana Morrison’s Soul Food in Charlotte, North Carolina in 2013. The menu is fashioned after the authentic Southern cooking that Morrison’s great-grandmother (“Nana”) was known for—staples like fried chicken, smothered pork chops, barbecue ribs, collard greens, yams, black-eyed peas, and mac and cheese.
In North Carolina, Morrison and his three siblings learned everything about the restaurant biz, from processing payroll to prepping the food to understanding the nuances of employee management. “I remember standing on a stool at the register when I was 7,” recalls Morrison, who now oversees a staff of 13 at the Nana’s in Port St. Lucie. “Our parents raised us to be bosses.”
As they grew up, the Morrison kids helped their parents expand the brand. Morrison’s older brother, Shawn, 26, took over running the flagship location in Charlotte, and the family opened a second restaurant in Charlotte, which is run by Morrison’s 18-year-old sister, Gabriella. (The youngest Morrison sibling, Aaron, is still in high school and hasn’t yet decided whether he will join the family business.)
When it came time for the family to expand their soul food empire to Florida, Hank made the move to the Sunshine State in 2023 to run the Port St. Lucie location. He opened it just six months after graduating from high school.
The restaurant’s location in Tradition, Morrison says, is in the perfect spot for attracting the influx of new residents moving to the community: “We see new customers coming in every day.” Watching people discover the authentic Southern recipes his family has passed down through generations is the most rewarding part of his day. “The best part is when people eat the product and you see a smile on their faces,” he says.
Morrison is busier than most 20-year-olds and hasn’t had much time to explore his new home state, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. “What I’m doing with my life is different than most young people,” he says. “I’m trying to set myself up for the future.” The end goal for the family is to continue to expand the Nana Morrison’s brand. A fourth location opened in Cary, North Carolina in December, and a fifth is slated to open in Indian Land, South Carolina this month. Personally, Morrison hopes to open more restaurants in Florida. “I want to see a Nana Morrison’s Soul Food on every corner,” he says.
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