Ever get the craving for some collard greens, mac and cheese and BBQ chicken made the way your grandmother makes them only to realize you’re states apart? Enter: eatOkra an app that helps users find the nearest Black-owned restaurant to satisfy their cravings.
At Food Before Love, we are always on a mission to highlight diversity in the food industry. Recently, we had the opportunity to chat with Anthony Edwards, Jr., developer of eatOkra the app. He shared why he created the app and how users can best utilize its features.
About eatOkra
In 2016, Edwards developed eatOkra out of a desire to support Black-owned restaurants during a time when he, like many others, felt that the boost in morale was much needed. Edwards initially wanted to focus on highlighting Black-owned restaurants in Brooklyn, New York. However, he and his partners, Janique Bradley and Justin Johnson, decided it was better to widen the scope of the app. In fact, Johnson’s creation of the okra logo influenced the partners’ decision. The partners did not understand why Johnson used an okra. Johnson explained that the okra seed was brought on slave ships from Africa by those captured to be slaves. Edwards and Bradley agreed that the concept was fitting and the name eatOkra was born.
How to Best Utilize the App
eatOkra is a free app. Consumers can download the eatOkra app from both the Apple and Android application stores. Users can easily search categories like “Soul Food” and “Caribbean Cuisine” for delicious food from Black-owned restaurants. Undecided hungry users can use the “Local Eats” category to find a restaurant nearby. Business owners and users nationwide can suggest their favorite Black-owned businesses that are not listed in the directory by using the “Add Business” feature in the app, or the “Add Business” tab on the website. eatOkra will add the restaurant to the directory after verifying that the business is Black-owned. Users can also rate restaurants, contact the restaurants, and order food through the app.
What’s Next for eatOkra
Currently, more than 900 businesses are listed in the eatOkra directory in cities like NYC, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Detroit, and more. Anthony shared that they would like to expand the directory to include Black-owned caterers and online food businesses.
Download eatOkra to have access to an ever-expanding directory of Black-owned restaurants to satisfy any case of the munchies in the palm of your hand.
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