Running from February 19 through February 28, Black Restaurant Week is launching its inaugural campaign for the Northwest Region, highlighting Black-owned culinary businesses in our community.
A surge of societal upheaval was building in 2016 as
American culture grasped for a suitable response to the highly publicized
deaths of Michael Brown, Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, and so many others. Warren
Luckett was working as a wholesale wine distributor in Houston, Texas, at the
time, and his thoughts returned to the visceral realities of those deaths.
For Luckett, the family dinner table was the space he could explore his feelings and ideas about issues larger than himself, and he noticed growing angst among young Black millennials like him, wanting to have a conversation about the reality they saw around them. What better place to hold that conversation than a dinner table?

Pairing his love of food and his background in business, the
dream of Black Restaurant Week was conceived—a solid seven days dedicated to
celebrating the flavors of African-American, African, and Caribbean cuisine
through a series of events and promotional campaigns intended to introduce
Black culinary businesses and professionals to the community. Falayn Ferrell
and Derek Robinson, then cochairs of PR and marketing for the Houston Area Urban
League Young Professionals, responded to his request for help. In April of
2016, the trio launched the first Black Restaurant Week in Houston, providing a
metaphorical table for the community to gather around. Since those local
beginnings, Black Restaurant Week has grown with regular events across the
country.
This is the first year that the event has been in the
Pacific Northwest. Participating restaurants receive marketing and promotional
support aimed at highlighting the diverse cuisine of these eateries. This
support comes during a time when a University of California, Santa Cruz study
revealed that Black-owned businesses are suffering on a disproportionate scale.
Since the pandemic began, 41% of Black-owned businesses have closed, compared
to 17% of white-owned businesses.
The organization recognizes that a week of marketing and promotions isn’t always enough to compete with larger, better-funded chains. They have introduced a series of events to support the restaurant beyond the specified week, with business panels, catering showcases, and food truck festivals. This year, they hosted virtual town hall discussions with access to video of those panels and a summary of tips and ideas from them. Further services include a plethora of operational and financial resources for running a culinary business in the modern market.
Results for the event have been impressive. In 2020, Black
Restaurant Week supported 670 Black-owned culinary businesses and helped them
to realize an average sales increase of 34%.
There are plenty of incentives for diners to “follow your
fork” in support of community favorites. The event hosts special deals, prizes,
and games like Black Restaurant Week Bingo, which rewards diners for multiple
purchases. They have also opened participation beyond traditional dine-in
restaurants and now include food trucks, sweets, and more.
Beyond the original mission, Black Restaurant Week is also
promoting the campaign to support the Texas Emergency Restaurant Relief Fund to
aid Black-owned and Latin-owned businesses affected by the winter storm.
Luckett’s original mission intended to support Black-owned culinary businesses and help establish an environment to have discussions about racial disparities. The event is designed to introduce local customers to a variety of culinary options, and organically provides a starting point for conversations about racial disparities in our community. Just as Black history doesn’t disappear on March 1, these restaurants continue to exist beyond the week of events and benefit from continued patronage, and can hopefully serve as that family dinner table—providing a space and foundation to discuss those larger issues.
For more information, you can visit BlackRestaurantWeeks.com.
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