Portland celebrates Black-owned food spots for NW Black Restaurant Week

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — As Black History Month comes to a close, Northwest Black Restaurant Week (BRW) has only just begun.

From Friday, Feb. 23 to Sunday, March 2, nearly 80 Black-owned food businesses in the region are participating in Northwest Black Restaurant Week, featuring the flavors of African American, African, and Caribbean cuisine.

Initially launched in Houston in 2016, BRW is now celebrated in many regions and cities across North America, including Portland, Toronto, the Bay Area and the Midwest.

At the time, two of the organization’s founders, Derek Robinson and Falayn Ferrell, owned a digital marketing firm in which they supported small businesses and non-profit organizations in their city. They soon met the third founder, Warren Luckett, who pitched the idea of a Black Restaurant Week.

“Since 2016, we aspired to set ourselves apart from similar organizations," said Farrell. "BRW is solely guided by business owners and operators. They are in the trenches every day and experience the ebbs and flows of running a business during one of the most difficult periods in US history."

Atlas Pizza, Grits N’ Gravy and Fish Fusion are just three of 78 restaurants in the PNW that locals can buy from over the next week. You can find the other participating restaurants here, as well as the specials that some of them will offer during BRW.

Additionally, the founders believe that this support can continue for “More than Just a Week,” which is what they call their campaign now in its ninth year. The 2024 campaign, in particular, is focused on promoting Black-owned food businesses and professionals in the community who can't afford expensive marketing campaigns. Since its beginning, the organization has supported more than 3,000 restauranteurs, bartenders, chefs, caterers, and food trucks through this campaign.

“COVID-19 changed the landscape since 2020. Now, the price of food is soaring," said Luckett. "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 days within each market and for the past nine years."