Black-owned businesses across the CSRA are participating in Black Restaurant Week from July 20-25. There will be specials and discounts provided by many of the participating businesses.
“All greater Augusta restaurants were severely impacted by COVID-19, but many black-owned businesses were overlooked in relief funding initiatives,” according to a press release.
Karen Gordon of Urban Pro Weekly and Growing Augusta organized the event, said it was spurred on by the pandemic.
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“I’m a musician by trade, and I don’t run a restaurant, but I was looking at my own personal business recovery as a musician, and I wanted to find a way to support other industries that had been hit,” Gordon said.
Gordon reached out to several black-owned restaurants, asking them to opt in to the event and other business owners reached out to opt in as well. Participating businesses include Alexander’s Great BBQ, The Brunch House of Augusta, Big Mama’s Soul Food, Broad Street Bullies, The Buttercup Bake Shop, Café 209, Chef Redd BBQ, Deshawn’s Seafood (Aiken, S.C.), HolyShakes, Humanitree House, Jackie M’s and Son, Jamaica Hut, Maryland’s Fried Chicken and Sweet Savour Desserts.
“Many of these places have been around a while, but some are new. We asked the participants to offer some discounts or special items to help encourage people to come visit them,” Gordon said. “We want to shine a light on these places and let people know they’re here. Many of them have been supporting the community for a long time, and the support back toward these businesses will go a long way.”
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Big Mama’s Soul Food is one of the participating restaurants that Gordon reached out to early in the process. Owner Karmarsha Johnson said their food will be 10% off throughout the week.
“We’re just excited about it,” Johnson said. “We just want people to come out and we are doing dine-ins. We’re excited to see how it goes.”
Denise Tucker, who owns Humanitree House, said it’s an awesome event that will allow the Augusta community to learn more about these businesses.
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“Karen and I talked about this at the conceptual stage,” Johnson said. “It’s a great idea to highlight some of the black-owned restaurants here and how we fit into the economic structure of Augusta. Of course, all restaurants and businesses were affected by the pandemic and we are not exclusively serving one part of the community, but I think it’s important to recognize the contributions of everyone.”
Tucker said she also is excited for the community to take special care of the minority-owned businesses in the area, and that even if it’s just purchasing one item and coming to experience the atmosphere in the participating restaurants, that is important to those involved.
Tyler Strong is the Business Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach him at tyler@theaugustapress.com.
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