Newly constructed Bookers’ Greenhouse Patio (Photo from Bookers’ Instagram page).
The City of Philadelphia has declared all Fridays in December as a “Shop Black Business Friday“, an initiative that aims to support Black-owned businesses, which have been hit very hard during the pandemic. One of the ways to support Black businesses in your community is to order food from Black-owned restaurants.
There are so many great Black-owned restaurants in West Philly. Some of them, like Bookers’ Restaurant and Bar (50th and Baltimore) and 48th Street Grille (48th and Pine) are still open for outdoor dining, as long as the weather is not too cold. Bookers’ recently built a greenhouse patio with open air flow, heaters and socially distanced tables (see photo).
For other restaurants, take-out and delivery are the only options for now since indoor dining was prohibited again starting Nov. 20 due to a new spike in coronavirus cases in the City.
To order food from a Black-owned restaurant or eatery in your area, check out the EatOkra app. The app, which was founded in 2016 by Anthony Edwards and his wife Janique as an easier way to discover Black-owned restaurants in Brooklyn, has now connected over 150,000 users to more than 2,600 Black-owned restaurants, bakeries, cafes, food trucks, bars and wineries across the country. It’s currently available on the Apple App Store.
There are also several local directories you can check. We mentioned several of them in our recent “Gift Cards From Local Businesses Make Great Holiday Gifts” post:
52nd Street Black Owned Business Directory, Baltimore Avenue Business Association, Lancaster Avenue Business Association, Garden Court Community Association, Cedar Park Neighbors.
December 12th, 2020 at 11:47 am
I’m all for supporting black-owned businesses and feel for those on 52nd St. which were damaged in the leftist rioting and looting. I’d gladly shop at these businesses, buy food to-go from them, and eat there if Gov. Wolfe stopped tyrannizing the Commonwealth. I don’t really care who owns the restaurant-black, white, brown, Muslim, Christian, Jew, agnostic, atheist, LBGTQA+. We live in a pluralistic nations But as long as we have black this, white that, gay here, trans there, we continue the identity divide. Why not just have “shop local businesses” in Philly? I’m just asking. Do we choose where we shop because of the social construct of race?
December 13th, 2020 at 2:06 am
All Fridays in December as a “Shop Black Business Friday“. Pandemic continues till now. For this reason, every Friday shop black business is so tough decision. That’s why we should obey the social distance and other safety.
December 13th, 2020 at 10:43 am
Geez, conservatives really are the whiniest.
December 14th, 2020 at 1:14 pm
I see a lot of right wingers denying that there are different levels of privilege for straight/white/Christian people but then expressing OUTRAGE about their oppression because they have to wear a mask to go shopping or can’t work out at the gym. Ignorance is the Devil.