Eat Brunch for Free This Saturday at Riddim n Spice

Although Tennessee is firmly “Coke Country,” you have to hand it to Pepsi for their “Dig in Day” initiative, which casts a spotlight on Black-owned restaurants around the country. Pepsi has partnered with Nashville favorite chef Carla Hall to recognize underappreciated Black restaurant owners — they're even picking up the tab for brunch at a few places in major cities.

In Nashville, Pepsi has chosen Caribbean outpost Riddim n Spice as the spot to highlight, and they’ll pay for your brunch this Saturday, Nov. 5, while supplies last. I’m not exactly sure what “supplies” they’re talking about. It could be until Riddim n Spice runs out of oxtail or Pepsi runs out of the money they’ve committed to the project. Get there early, just in case! They open at 11 a.m.

Diners can also win $5,000 and unlock a $5,000 donation for their favorite Black-owned eatery through Sunday, Nov. 6, by posting a photo of their meal on Instagram and tagging a Black-owned restaurant with @PepsiDigIn #DigInShowLove #Sweepstakes. 

Pepsi has also offered another resource in the form of EatOkra.com to help you find other Black-owned restaurants through a dedicated search engine. Among the restaurants they mention are Swett’s, which is well-known, and H&T Homecooking and Barr’s Music City Soul Food, which have risen to the top of my to-do list.

We should do a better job of recognizing the importance of Black-owned restaurants in Middle Tennessee. (Lord knows I’ve tried.) When someone like Pepsi makes it easier for us, we should definitely take advantage of it. See you at brunch!