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Black Restaurant Week was founded by Derek Robinson, Falayn Ferrell and Warren Luckett to collectively help spotlight the flavors of African American cuisine for just a few days out of the year. Now, they’re making sure we dedicate more time to celebrate and support Black-owned eateries.
“We’re in the trenches with the owners and operators, which is why we created our Feed the Soul Foundation Restaurant Business Development Fund,” said Falayn Ferrell, Black Restaurant Week, LLC’s Operations Managing Partner, in a statement.
Launched in 2016, the “More Than Just a Week” campaign was created to bolster Black-owned culinary businesses and professionals who couldn’t afford to market themselves to wider audiences. The trio is doubling down on the initiative as inflation ravages small Black businesses, and makes it more challenging to balance company-related costs. This comes just a few years after Black-owned establishments were disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 shutdown.
“During the pandemic, we’ve partnered with several corporations to produce and provide DEI opportunities for Black-owned culinary businesses to build awareness within the community and potential expansion opportunities,” shares Warren Luckett, Black Restaurant Week, LLC’s founder. “Through our NOSH Culinary Competition program, we secured a permanent retail space for Dolo’s Pizza within State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Additionally, we partnered with NASCAR, who hosts Black-owned food trucks during events in Richmond throughout the summer in addition to a series of ‘Cars & Coffee’ Los Angeles-based events in August honoring Black Business Month and February for Black History Month.”
“We’re in the trenches with the owners and operators, which is why we created our Feed the Soul Foundation Restaurant Business Development Fund,” states Falayn Ferrell, Black Restaurant Week, LLC’s Operations Managing Partner. “We understand they need ‘more than just a week’ of support to thrive in such a competitive industry. Through the support of our corporate partners, the foundation is able to provide funding and business development to create sustainability for minority-owned culinary businesses. We are witnessing so much growth from our 2021 and 2022 cohorts from expansion to brick-and-mortar locations to e-commerce opportunities to sell culinary products across the United States.”
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