Nicholas Perkins is the first African American to own a national burger franchise system. The culinary enthusiast and entrepreneur is a Fayetteville, North Carolina native who purchased the Fuddruckers franchise business in June 2021. Perkins has plans to re-establish the famous burger brand to its glory days, with a national marketing campaign, technology investments, and a customer loyalty program. This visionary earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Management from Fayetteville State University and a Master of Business Administration from the highly respected HBCU Howard University. Perkins, the CEO of Black Titan Enterprises, also owns a food service management company, Perkins Management Systems, based in Washington D.C. His food service manages operations for colleges, healthcare institutions, government facilities, offices, and factories. Perkins also works with notable brands such as Pizza Hut, Chick-fil-A, and Church’s Chicken. The results-driven leader has a proven track record of business development by implementing innovative marketing systems and strategic positioning to obtain multimillion-dollar contracts in the food and beverage industry. 

Perkins also serves as a community leader. He is the youngest member of the National Board for the National Urban League, a board member of the Fayetteville State University School of Business Dean’s Advisory Council, and was appointed to the 2014 NC Governor’s Advisory Council on Small, Women, and Minority-Owned Business. As a prominent business owner, Perkins provides employment for individuals from disenfranchised communities to offer others a way forward. “I look very much forward to being able to empower others to be entrepreneurs. If me being the first African American in this position means that I can leverage the asset that I have to be able to improve the lives of other people, it’s one of the most rewarding things that you can do, to help lift others up.” — Perkins.