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Restaurants and bars owned and operated by Black New Yorkers are a big part of what makes this city's culinary scene so damn delicious, and next month you'll have extra reason to frequent such establishments as Black Restaurant Week returns to New York City and the Tri-State area for its fifth year.
Kicking off on Juneteenth, a.k.a. Wednesday, June 19, the annual campaign celebrates “the diverse tastes of African American, African, and Caribbean cuisine throughout the country," with budget-friendly menu selections at restaurants, bakeries, cafés, food trucks and more throughout the five boroughs, as well as New Jersey townships.
From June 19 through Sunday, June 30, you can frequent up to 80 participating venues, including Red Rooster Harlem, Cascade Jerk, Twins BBQ Co., Collective Fare, Tamarind Island, Voila Afrique, Misfits Nutrition, Brooklyn Blend, Negril Village, Lee Lee's Baked Goods, The Real Mothershuckers and many more. There will be classic soul food, Caribbean favorites, African staples and more.
Born in Houston in 2016 and expanded to 15 markets internationally, Black Restaurant Week is "focused on restimulating local economies within the Black community by promoting Black-owned culinary businesses and professionals who cannot afford costly marketing campaigns," organizers stated in a press release. "In nine years, the organization has supported more than 3000 restauranteurs, bartenders, chefs, caterers, and food trucks."
According to the James Beard Foundation’s 2023 Industry Report, 53% of culinary business owners experienced lowered profits this year and challenges around rising food and labor costs have severely impacted profit margins since 2022. “COVID-19 changed the landscape since 2020. Now, the price of food is soaring. From being overlooked for revitalization funds to inflation, most Black-owned culinary businesses cannot afford advertisements/PR/marketing to build awareness and attract consumers," shared Warren Luckett, founder of Black Restaurant Week. "That’s why we proudly do this for free—it’s peer-to-peer support for 10 or 14 days (depending on the market) within each market and for the past nine years.”
Check out the Black Restaurant Week website for the full line-up of participating New York and New Jersey restaurants, and get ready to eat very well next month!