ALPHARETTA, Ga. — DJ Infamous is best known for producing music and rocking crowds of thousands of fans all over the world with his right-hand man, Atlanta hip-hop icon Ludacris.
Now, he is joining his wife, Ashanta, with the opening of the Panda Pancakes franchise at North Point Mall in Alpharetta.
The pink and white Panda Pancakes kiosk on the second level of North Point Mall is hard to miss. If it’s not the smell of a fresh batch of battered, desert-style pancakes, it’s the family-friendly and welcoming atmosphere that DJ Infamous and Ashanta provide customers throughout the mall.
“Pancakes puts a smile on people’s faces,” he said. “We try to bring people together with great food and great customer service. We strive to put a smile on peoples’ faces and make them happy.”
DJ Infamous, whose real name is Calvin Donald, said the inspiration behind opening Panda Pancakes began during 2023 around the time he was on a worldwide tour with Ludacris and music icon Janet Jackson.
“Ludacris’ manager Chaka Zulu told me to invest in something smart,” DJ Infamous recalled. “I thought of doing something that could help me create generational wealth. I’ve always wanted to do something outside of music I just didn’t know what it was yet, so I prayed on it.”
DJ Infamous said everything began to fall into place at the right time after his wife Ashanta found out about the franchise they ended up buying into. That’s when his antenna went up.
“When it comes to pancakes, what comes to mind is families, kids, adults, birthday parties,” he said. “It came to my mind of pancakes but desert style. Everybody loves pancakes and that’s their slogan. It brought me back to my inner kid.”
DJ Infamous said his favorite pancake is the Sophisticated Strawberry Syrup pancakes. It comes with fresh strawberries, strawberry syrup, whipped cream and those buttery flipping, fabulous pancakes.
The Lansing, Michigan native said he is grateful that Georgians have embraced him and welcomed him with open arms since he moved to Atlanta in 2005.
“I love it down here,” he continued. “Down here, it was like everybody was saying, “what’s up shawty?” Southern hospitality is real down here. Atlanta has embraced me as their own, and I greatly appreciate that.”
DJ Infamous says opening Panda Pancakes together with his wife Ashanta is special. Ashanta “spearheaded the Panda Pancakes” franchise. He added that he handles funding and marketing, and his wife Ashanta handles everything else.
“I told my wife, this is you. She said, ‘no, it’s us.’ That makes me feel good because we are doing this together and we are partners,” he said. “God is good.”
Panda Pancakes is open Monday – Saturday 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. and 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. on Sunday.
The grand opening ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. on Nov. 16, with the ribbon cutting beginning at 3 p.m. at 1000 North Point Circle. For more information, visit the Panda Pancakes ATL Instagram or TikTok pages.