TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Celebrating Black-owned businesses, Bite of Brown week is coming back to Tallahassee for their second year.
During that week businesses are marketed on social media, drawing new crowds to restaurants they may not normally visit.
“It’s a restaurant week we pretty much created to combat what was happening with COVID-19 and just businesses going out of business and suffering,” Caleb Ross said.
Ross with Dream Marketing Agency says their second Bite of Brown Week that features black and minority owned businesses in Tallahassee will be bigger than ever.
“We use our data and our emails, and text messaging marketing, we figured we’d use that that to the best of our ability to just drive traffic,” Ross said.
Co-Owner of Tastee Turkey Leg Halford Thompson, who is participating in the week for their first time, says they are excited to work with Bite of Brown week that boosted sales for last years businesses over 40% during the week.
“If I could just take the inklings, just the sprinkles here, I know it would help this restaurant of ours that my Wife and I created,” Thompson said.
Hardships continue for Tastee Turkey Leg even after the surges of COVID-19 the area saw last year. The restaurant is now dealing with an increase in prices, and even had to take some items like oxtails off the menu to make them special order meals.
“I recall us paying like just for a little tray we used to pay like $30 bucks, now I’m up to $70 something dollars,” Thompson said.
For restaurants and businesses still dealing with hardships – however- there are local resources available.
The Big Bend Minority Chamber of Commerce says they provide small businesses with small Micro-loans of up to $50,000 to help get owners through tough times; and even provide training for their members to get through “business interrupting situations,” like COVID-19 or even the supply chain crisis.
“When there’s a disruption in your business, whether it’s through natural disaster, man-made disaster, or just some unfortunate thing that happens through your business, being able to pivot your business because you thought through what happens in the case their is something like a supply chain crisis that happens to your business,” Antonio Jefferson with the Big Bend Minority Chamber of Commerce said.
