When 79-year-old Cassie Nickelson decided to sell her beloved home-style eatery Scend’s Restaurant and Bar after nearly 50 years of service, the news didn’t sit well with locals in the Oakland neighborhood. They were concerned the new owners would change the menu or, worse, decide to close it altogether.

Per Eater SF, newly signed Oakland Raider and hometown hero Marshawn Lynch seemed to agree, so he decided to purchase the iconic restaurant in order to keep it in business.

Lynch knows Nickelson very well. He’s been eating her food since he was nine years old and she ran a catering business out of her apartment. Lynch will officially take over ownership of Scend’s in August and has no plans to change the menu full of soul food classics. The name is actually an acronym of Nickelson’s children and grandchildren, some of whom have worked or continue to work in the restaurant.

It’s great news for locals who have frequented the restaurant, which is located on the West Oakland-Emeryville border, for decades.

For Lynch, the purchase is just one of many initiatives he’s undertaken since returning to the world of professional football to play for his hometown team. The former Oakland Technical High School and Cal running back has also hosted multiple celebrations, a block party, and a group bike ride through Oakland.