Chicago Black Restaurant Week to showcase nearly 100 Black-owned eateries

Chicago Black Restaurant Week will return for its sixth year with nearly 100 restaurants participating.

The annual event celebrating Black-owned restaurants in Chicago will now last two weeks, kicking off Sunday. Lauran Smith, the event’s founder, said the extra week was added to help businesses financially by allowing more time for patrons to visit.

Black Restaurant Week was founded in the summer of 2015 to create community support and increase visibility of Black-owned restaurants and food businesses in the city. The annual event is typically held to honor “Negro History Week,” which falls during the second week of February and celebrates the historical accomplishments of Black Americans.

Restaurant week will run through Feb. 21. This year’s event is in partnership with My Block, My Hood, My City and Uber Eats. Smith said joining forces with the two organizations will help the organization “amplify the message of Black business support.”

Orders can be placed via the Chicago Black Restaurant Week website, https://chiblackrestaurantweek.com/. Each business registered with Uber Eats will have their own personal menu link, Smith said.

This year, Chicago Black Restaurant Week has added delivery and pickup options, with some featured businesses allowing dine-in options compliant with the city’s 25% capacity rule.

Unlike Chicago Restaurant Week’s prix fixe menus, Black Restaurant Week participants typically set their own prices. Menu items will end in 21 cents as a nod to the year.

Last year’s event brought in over $40,000 in meals served, Smith said. With the extra week and new partnerships this year, she said she expects businesses to see a “major increase.”

A full list of participants can be found on Chicago Black Restaurant Week’s website.

Brian Rich/Sun-Times file photo