“When we moved into our new apartment, we didn’t have any furniture or a refrigerator, so we were forced to go into the community and explore.” Janique said, “Why don’t you build an app that helps us identify and explore Black owned restaurants in Brooklyn.”
Those early conversations in 2016 inspired Anthony and Janique Edwards to launch EatOkra, an app highlighting Black-owned restaurants. By making it easier to find and support Black-owned businesses, EatOkra supports a vibrant community of consumers and business owners that honor and preserve the culinary heritage and history of the African diaspora.
EatOkra is one of the [many] community organizations in Chime’s “Chime in for Changemakers™” program, which aims to empower people already working directly in our communities to effect change to make an even greater impact.
EatOkra’s innovative app has already made a significant difference for a cornerstone of [all] local communities – Black owned businesses – by raising brand awareness and empowering consumers who want to claim their power as conscious buyers. EatOkra has grown to over 9,500 business listings, serving more than a half a million users across 35 cities. We are incredibly proud to support EatOkra and all of our Changemakers to do our part to help break down barriers to growth and build up communities of support.
