Ways to Support Black-Owned Restaurants and Other Food Businesses in Seattle
For the past two weeks, impassioned protests against police violence and racial injustices have prompted a larger discussion about creating more equity across various industries. That extends to the Seattle food world, as many look to direct their dollars to black-owned restaurants, bars, bakeries, and cafes. As such, a variety of local guides have collected names of such businesses to make discovery a little easier.
Laura Clise, founder of The Intentionalist — a comprehensive Seattle-based online shopping guide that highlights businesses owned from underrepresented communities — says that traffic to black-owned places listed on her site has increased five-fold since protests began. “People are seizing this moment to change the way they make their eating and purchasing decisions,” she says. “They are becoming more intentional with their spending as an act of solidarity.” Likewise, Isolynn Dean, owner of Cortona Cafe in Central District, says that there has been a major influx in business recently and has been encouraged by the support.
Consistent patronage will be key to cultural change, however, as both Clise and Dean note. While ordering takeout is a good way to directly support black-owned restaurants, that’s just one small step in the process — inadequate on its own without deeper engagement. Among some avenues to pursue through advocacy efforts are land trusts to secure spaces for entrepreneurs, funds for black farmers, more recognition for the work that many black chefs are doing in the community, and education on the cuisines that so many innovative restaurateurs are serving.
In that vein, below are some recent guides of black-owned food businesses in the area, along with resources that may be useful to help build sustainable change. As Dean says, “Just show up.”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/foodanddrink/foodnews/ways-to-support-black-owned-restaurants-and-other-food-businesses-in-seattle/ar-BB15ml1Y?ocid=hplocalnews
