Philadelphia's Black Restaurant Week helps entrepreneurs after a tough year

Monday, May 31, 2021
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The Sooo Trucking Delicious food truck stands out on the 5200 block of Grays Avenue in Southwest Philadelphia.

The truck and its owners have made a name for themselves through their soul food specialties, including their macaroni and cheese, salmon burger and fried fish.

Co-owners Angel Smith and Aminah McDaniel opened right before the pandemic. This week, they are excited to participate in the nationwide initiative Black Restaurant Week LLC for a second time.

Smith described the emotional rollercoaster they dealt with last year.
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"We were scared because we put everything we have into this financially and we didn't know what we were going to do," she said.

It's a big reason why they are looking forward to participating in Philadelphia's Black Restaurant Week. The initiative offers businesses a free marketing campaign and free exposure for small Black businesses that don't often have additional money to commit to publicity.



"It means a lot, we come together as a community," McDaniel said.

Black Restaurant Week kicks off on Friday, June 4, and runs through Sunday, June 13. It was developed to shine a light on minority businesses by three friends in Houston: Warren Luckett, Falayn Ferrell and Derek Robinson.
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The Action News Data Journalism Team found that from February to April of last year, 41% of Black-owned businesses nationwide permanently closed, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research

H&R Block conducted a survey from the start of the pandemic to January 2021 and found 53% of Black-owned businesses saw a major decrease in revenue compared to only 37% of white-owned businesses.

"It really is the power of the Black dollar. I thank the local community and local support," said Black Restaurant Week Managing Partner Falayn Ferrell.

For Sooo Trucking Delicious, Black Restaurant Week was a huge success last year. They said it helped towards them opening a brick-and-mortar store in Center City this summer.

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