An app worth downloading!
New York couple Anthony and Janique Edwards are the creators of EatOkra, a new app that connects people to Black-owned restaurants in more than 30 cities across the United States, the Washington City Paper reports.
The duo founded the app in 2016, inspired at the time by a push to buy Black. Anthony said he thought of the concept while trying to find a Black-owned restaurant to patronize. “We could look at articles and blogs but no app did all of that for me and let me press a button to take me there. There had been a lot of talk in 2016 that was heavily racial related. We wanted to do something to help Black people,” he said.
“We really wanted to create a platform that supported Black-owned restaurants specifically. We really focus on a lot of smaller, mom-and-pop restaurants that don’t get enough attention or exposure,” Janique added.
The pair went on to explain the meaning behind the app’s name saying, “We used the word Okra in the name because it was a seed brought over during the slave trade.”
EatOkra allows users to download for free, directing them to various Black-owned eateries, sometimes labeled off in categories such as Caribbean cuisine, breakfast & brunch, soul food and local eats. Currently there are over 1700 restaurants listed on the app, which are mostly submitted via users who message in their favorite spots via social media or on the “add business” tap on the app. There is also a rating feature that can be used.
Anthony, a former Army veteran, said he hopes to expand the app’s features, adding different text review options and connecting restaurant owners and chefs with different organizations to help further various community initiatives, especially as food security is involved.
You can follow the company via social media @eatokratheapp or download EatOkra on any iPhone or Android device.
Photo Courtesy of @edwardsdevelopit/Instagram