NEW ORLEANS (press release) – The Urban League of Louisiana (ULLA), in collaboration with the National Urban League, announced nine recipients of its 2022 Black Restaurant Accelerator program grants sponsored by the PepsiCo Foundation.
The Black Restaurant Accelerator program is a part of a $10M investment by the PepsiCo Foundation to provide current and aspiring Black food service operators with access to capital, training, mentorship and other support services through the National Urban League’s 12 entrepreneurship centers. The national program seeks to boost approximately 500 Black-owned businesses over 5 years.
“As the Urban League of Louisiana continues to expand its services across the state of Louisiana, we are committed to reaching even more Black-owned small businesses in our most vulnerable communities with the support and resources that are critical to their success”, says Judy Reese Morse, President & CEO, Urban League of Louisiana. “As such, Urban League of Louisiana relies on the expertise and alliance of partner organizations, such as the PepsiCo Foundation, that understand the severity and urgency of the resources, funding, expert training, counseling services, and other support services that small businesses need to recover and successfully grow. We applaud the PepsiCo Foundation for their vision and are grateful that they have entrusted us to administer this work in the state of Louisiana.”
Through its Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, ULLA has a long-standing commitment to supporting women- and minority-owned small businesses across the state of Louisiana with various initiatives like Scale Up! Louisiana, Start Up! Louisiana, the SBA Community Navigator Pilot Program, and since 2021, the PepsiCo Black Restaurant Accelerator program.
The Black Restaurant Accelerator program provides opportunities for direct grant assistance as well as entrepreneurial coaching and training on a variety of topics, including: accounting and financial systems, inventory management, operational efficiency, marketing for growth and ROI, and staff development. The program provides participants with access to entrepreneurship advisors and PepsiCo employee volunteers to build an actionable plan for growth.
“With the support of the PepsiCo Foundation, the Urban League of Louisiana continues to expand its services to support the needs of Black-owned food service operators in Louisiana”, says Klassi Duncan, Vice President, Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Urban League of Louisiana. “This program has been a game-changer for participants by providing the education, counseling, and critical resources needed to recover, grow, and scale. In fact, these resources are assisting businesses in getting one step closer to creating generational wealth for their families and for their communities.”
In year two of this five-year program, the Urban League of Louisiana hosted three restaurant accelerator programs through its partnership with PROOF, a Chattanooga-based restaurant incubator and restaurant consulting firm. PROOF provides industry-based entrepreneurial training, online learning tools and resources, as well as, consulting services for participating businesses.
Also in 2022, the program awarded nine food service operators from Louisiana each with a $10,000 grant to support a growth project related to operational efficiency, production, business management, etc. The following Louisiana-based businesses received the PepsiCo grant for the program year:
- Vaucresson’s Café and Deli (New Orleans)
- Boo’s Best BBQ (Baton Rouge)
- Let Us Cater for You (Marrero)
- Chef Scott Creole BBQ (New Orleans)
- Eddie’s Restaurant, LLC DBA Lil Dizzy’s Café (New Orleans)
- Hurst Restaurant and Seafood (Kenner)
- Lumberjack’s Soul Food and More (Lafayette)
- Vyoone’s (New Orleans)
- Ole Mississippi Smokehouse and Catering LLC (Baker)
