Black Restaurant Week & Pepsi Hit The Road to Celebrate Black Culinary Tastemakers

HOUSTON, Sept. 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Foodies can raise their forks to events showcasing African-American, African and Caribbean cuisine as Black Restaurant Week embarks 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 and generate social and economic support for the Black culinary community.

Black Restaurant Week 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, like interactive learning opportunities and resource sharing. As the first national title sponsor, Pepsi kicked off its collaboration with Black Restaurant Week in Greater Washington D.C. where the campaign is underway 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, such as disproportionate access to business loans, demonstrates the importance of Black Restaurant Week's collaboration with Pepsi. These disparities have only grown with the COVID-19 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. Since kicking off its 2020 campaign in July, Black Restaurant Week has highlighted more than 340 Black-owned culinary businesses in Houston, Los Angeles, Oakland, St. Louis, Kansas City, Chicago and Atlanta. With the exception of prix fixe menu ordering at participating restaurants, all event programming for the 2020 campaign will take place virtually to ensure a safe experience.

"We're committed to increasing access, accelerating growth and expanding awareness for Black-owned restaurants," said Scott Finlow, Chief Marketing Officer, PepsiCo Global Foodservice. "The work Black Restaurant Week is already doing fits perfectly with our mission. We want our collaboration and the power of the Pepsi brand to help take the organization's fantastic efforts to the next level to engage more consumers and boost Black foodservice businesses."

Visit blackrestaurantweeks.com to view the complete tour schedule and learn more about upcoming events and resources. Stay connected with @BlackRestaurantWeek and @Pepsi on social networks.

*University of California, Santa Cruz, 2020

About Black Restaurant Week

Black Restaurant Week LLC is an annual, multi-city culinary movement celebrating the flavors of African, African-American and Caribbean cuisine nationwide. Black Restaurant Week partners with Black-owned restaurants, chefs, caterers and food trucks to host a selection of culinary experiences aimed to expand awareness and increase support for black culinary professionals. The organization was founded in 2016 by entrepreneurs Warren Luckett, Falayn Ferrell and Derek Robinson. Connect with Black Restaurant Week on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $67 billion in net revenue in 2019, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 23 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Convenient Foods and Beverages by Winning with Purpose. "Winning with Purpose" reflects our ambition to win sustainably in the marketplace and embed purpose into all aspects of the business. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com

Media Contacts:

Black Restaurant Week

Asia Phua

Asia.Phua@ten35.com

PepsiCo

Melanie O'Sullivan

Melanie.OSullivan@pepsico.com

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SOURCE Black Restaurant Week LLC; PepsiCo