Pepsi’s latest marketing campaign asserts that many foods go better with its signature cola. Apparently, that includes some of the meals created by some of the top Black chefs from around the country.
Via the company’s Dig In platform, which is designed to drive access, business acceleration and awareness for Black-owned restaurants, Pepsi has created a Restaurant Royalty Residency program that brings signature dishes from Black-owned restaurants to MGM properties in Las Vegas.
The program will bring chefs from consumer-nominated Black-owned restaurants to Luxor’s Public House and Mandalay Bay’s Libertine Social for four-week residencies. During that time, the chefs will bring their exclusive dishes to the restaurant to share with diners from around the world.
The first Resident will be JJ Johnson of New York City’s FIELDTRIP. He will be making his signature Braised Oxtails with Jollof Rice to the city from October 9 through November 5. On November 6, Bun B of Houston-based Trill Burgers will take over for a month. Following that will be chefs from Slim and Husky’s in Nashville, FoodChasers’ Kitchen from Elkins Park, PA, and Trap Kitchen in Los Angeles.
“The intense consumer passion in response to our Restaurant Royalty nomination program is the type of groundswell action that Pepsi Dig In was created to ignite for Black-owned businesses,” said Scott Finlow, PepsiCo Global Foodservice CMO, in a release. “Las Vegas is a city for revelers and foodies alike and serves as the perfect stage to spotlight talented Black restaurateurs and chefs, highlight their food, and grow their audiences.”
Launched in 2020, Pepsi Dig In is a multi-faceted platform to direct $50 million to support Black-owned businesses over five years. In addition to the Restaurant Royalty Residency, the program has contributed $10 million to the National Urban League to co-create a Black Restaurant Accelerator program and launched Black Restaurants Delivered, a pro bono digital and delivery consulting program. The company has also launched a national “Dig In Day,” which encourages consumers to patronize Black-owned restaurants.
