Uber Eats is providing two kitchen spaces at Navy Yard’s Sandlot Southeast rent-free for a group of Black-owned food businesses as part of a new program.
EatOkra, Suite Nation, and &Access are also supporting the initiative that aims at celebrating local Black-owned eateries and chefs.
Restaurants, chefs, caterers, and food truck operators based in the District of Columbia will be able to benefit from the kitchens rent-free every Thursday and Sunday, from March 18 through the end of 2021. They will also get to serve their customers over the Uber Eats app.
“Uber is committed to supporting Black restaurant owners and chefs in DC, and across the country,” Michele Blackwell, a spokesperson for Uber, said in a press release.
“We’re excited to partner with organizations that share our values and that are creating spaces to uplift restaurants that are at the core of DC’s communities. This work has always been important, but it is especially critical now as the restaurant community recovers from economic setbacks caused by pandemic-related restaurant closures. We are proud to use the Uber Eats’ platform to support local, DC-based restaurants and the contributions of Black-owned restaurants,” Blackwell added.
According to Ian Callender, owner of Suite Nation & co-owner of Sandlot Southeast, “the authenticity of a culinary eco-system of culture, community & commerce, created by people of color” will be boosted through the program.
“Being just 1 of 6 Black-owned businesses in the Capitol Riverfront, Navy Yard neighborhood out of 115, we entered the market as a double minority, but with the Uber Eats alignment, we can introduce multiple Black-owned restaurants, food trucks and businesses to a neighborhood that lacks diversity, exponentially,” Callender said.
Opened originally as Sandlot Southwest in 2019, the event space closed in June 2020 indefinitely because of the COVID-19 pandemic and redevelopment. It reopened in October 2020 as Sandlot Southeast at 71 Potomac Avenue Southeast.
For using the culinary residency with access to a 600 square foot catering kitchen or a fully equipped food truck, business owners may apply for the program here.