Black Restaurant Week in Dallas

March 18-25 is a long but fruitful week for restaurants in Dallas as they are to celebrate Black Restaurant Week to recognize black owners of businesses according to a Dallas Morning News article from March 18. They say, 

“An eight-day food event called Black Restaurant Week aims to bring awareness and business to Black-owned restaurants. Eighteen restaurants and shops in North Texas are participating in this year’s event between March 18 and 25, 2022.

The effort is simple: Co-founders Warren Luckett, Falayn Ferrell and Derek Robinson want you to visit a Black-owned business during Black Restaurant Week. Some restaurants will have discounts on menu items.

“Most businesses do not have marketing/PR/advertising dollars to promote their business; thus, BRW was developed to shine a light on minority businesses — aiding them in building community awareness to increase their bottom line,” says a press release.

Just 19% of businesses in the U.S. are owned by people of color, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s fall 2021 data. Black-owned restaurateurs have struggled during the pandemic. Even starting a business can be tough, because Black-owned business owners “face heightened challenges and disparities when securing business funding,” says the Independent Restaurant Coalition in a statement.

Some restaurants took extra steps to promote the one week event as they partner with NBA teams specifically the Dallas Mavericks according to a Black Restaurant Week article which reports 

“Dallas Mavericks and Levy Restaurants is hosting black-owned restaurants and chefs for 2 home games in the Lexus Platinum Club in celebration of Southwest Black Restaurant Week, taking place March 18-27. Dine in the Lexus Platinum Club to taste an array of culinary creations from our Black Restaurant Week network in collaboration with Dallas Maverick Chef Mark Mabry and his first class culinary team.

The Lexus Platinum Club opens an hour and a half prior to all Maverick games. 

Originally, the Black Restaurant Week came from Houston back in 2016 with Warren Luckett, Falayn Ferrell and Derek Robinson behind the scenes. Currently, their movement has exploded and was well-appreciated after being adopted by many other different cities.