While Memphis may be known for our barbeque, there’s a lot more to our community’s cuisine than meets the eye. Getting the spotlight on some of the best black-owned restaurants in the Bluff City is at the heart of what Black Restaurant Week is all about. The brainchild of Cynthia Daniels, Memphis Black Restaurant Week will return in 2018.
Memphis Black Restaurant Week Sets Dates
This year’s week is March 5 through March 11. For those curious about exploring the restaurant culture of Memphis, it represents a roadmap through some of the most revered establishments in town.
Daniels created Memphis Black Restaurant Week after discussion with local black-owned restaurants seemed to point towards one thing. While many enjoyed a good word-of-mouth reputation around town, they lacked the marketing resources and acumen to really effectively market their business.
To that end, Daniels perceived a need. By themselves, they couldn’t invest much in marketing to really call attention to themselves. Together, however, their shared resources allowed them to more aggressively market themselves collectively under the Black Restaurant Week banner.
2018 Lineup
- HM Dessert Lounge
- The Office Uptown
- Scoops Parlor
- Two Vegan Sisters
- Chef Tam’s Underground Cafe
- G Alston
- Lenny ‘s Subs
- Slice of Soul Pizza Lounge
- Laura’s Kitchen
- A&R BBQ
- The Waffle Iron
Making a Difference for the Memphis Community
In its maiden voyage, Daniels didn’t expect a big financial gain from her efforts, instead simply focusing on teaching the business owners how to manage their marketing budgets most effectively. To her surprise, it was a huge success, increasing profits for the restaurants a total of $85k for the week. The restaurants involved this year will again enjoy a great level of exposure, and for those new restaurants, it will represent a chance to make a good first impression. All told, Daniels’ Black Restaurant Week has featured 22 restaurants and accounted for an increase in sales of $260k for those participating, and most importantly, the creation of 90 new jobs.
For more information on Memphis Black Restaurant Week, check this out!
