Black Restaurant Week Teams Up With Pepsi To Tackle COVID-19 Economic Slump

Source: Black Restaurant Week

Foodies can raise their forks to Black Restaurant Week embarking on a local market tour this fall with Pepsi as its first-ever national title sponsor since its founding in 2016.

Through diverse menu selections and virtual events, Black Restaurant Week spotlights restaurateurs, bakers, chefs, caterers, food trucks and more to celebrate inspired flavors while generating social and economic support for the Black culinary community.

BRW champions culinary tastemakers across the nation through a

combination of enticing consumer offerings–including local events, prix fixe menus highlighting unique cultural fare and pop-up dinners–along with industry engagement designed to boost business owners with interactive learning opportunities and resource sharing.

Source: Black Restaurant Week

The Black millennial trio behind BRW supported the nation’s Black culinary community with its 360º event model aimed at supporting Black culinary professionals from farm-to-table.

Just last year they helped generate a 25-40% increase in revenue for participating restaurants and even saw patrons like Stevie Wonder and Master P come out to grab some prix-fixe plates.

Unfortunately, when COVID hit the need for support turned into the need for survival for most Black-owned businesses and BRW that, with the help of Pepsi, got the re-up needed to ensure the Black culinary community continued to thrive.

Source: Black Restaurant Week

As the first national title sponsor, Pepsi kicked off its collaboration with Black Restaurant Week in Greater Washington D.C. through Sept. 27, setting the table for upcoming Black Restaurant Week celebrations:

● New Orleans, LA: Oct. 2-11, 2020

● Philadelphia, PA: Oct. 16-25, 2020

● New York, NY: Nov. 13-22, 2020

● Florida: Nov. 27-Dec. 6, 2020*

● Alabama: Dec. 11-20, 2020*

*Taking place in all major cities of the state.

“We’re energized by the appetite we’ve seen for supporting Black-owned restaurants and celebrating the talented Black culinary professionals shaping the food and beverage scene,” said Warren Luckett, Founder of Black Restaurant Week.

“Pepsi shares our goal of increasing equality in the industry and this partnership allows us to have an even bigger impact by expanding Black Restaurant Week to reach more businesses, communities and diverse food lovers.”

The systemic barriers faced by Black-owned restaurants (disproportionate access to business loans) demonstrate the importance of Black Restaurant Week’s collaboration with Pepsi.

Source: Black Restaurant Week

These disparities have only grown with the COVID pandemic; 41% of Black-owned businesses have shuttered since February compared to 17% of white-owned businesses.*

In 2019, Black Restaurant Week collaborated with nearly 250 Black-owned restaurants and culinary businesses in cities across the U.S. generating $1.5 million in economic impact. Participating restaurants reported a 25-40% increase in revenue during each local celebration.

For more information on Black Restaurant Week, click here.