It’s Black Restaurant Week in Toronto from July 7-16, which brings a spotlight to the many Black-owned food establishments throughout the city.
Black Restaurant Week (BRW) was founded in 2016 by three friends, Warren Luckett (founder), Falayn Ferrell and Derek Robinson (managing partners), and has since spread into an awareness campaign across North America.
BRW celebrates the flavours of African American, African, and Caribbean cuisine with a series of events and aims to support Black-owned culinary businesses. Its mission is to provide complimentary marketing services for the Black-owned businesses in its campaign, educate consumers on the diverse cuisines within their local neighbourhoods and share the disparities faced by minority-owned businesses.
Participating restaurants can join at no cost and receive marketing materials to place within its establishment and digital assets to share online.
“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. That’s why we proudly do this for free – it’s peer-to-peer support for 10 or 14 days within each market and for the past seven years,” Luckett said in a statement.
Last year, BRW showcased 1,250 Black-owned culinary businesses across North America, including Toronto and Vancouver, and generated an average of 15 per cent sales increase. BRW’s website also promoted more than 1,700 Black-owned culinary businesses across North America in 2022.
To celebrate BRW, here are nine restaurants in Toronto that are participating in the campaign and open all year long.
- Afrobeat Kitchen, 1510 Queen St. W.
- Boukan, 774 Danforth Ave.
- Brown Sugar Cravings, 545 The West Mall
- Ethan’s Chill Spot, 1727 Eglinton Ave. W.
- Flame & Smoke, 707 Dundas St. W. Unit 10A
- GC Jerk Express, 1410 Victoria Park Ave. and 2849 Weston Rd.
- Miss Likklemore’s, 433 King St. W.
- Scotthill Caribbean Cuisine, 1943 Ave. Rd.
- Stacy’s Island Flavor Restaurant, 3007 Sheppard Ave. E.