Pinky Cole Hayes Selected To Uncover The Nation’s Best Black-Owned Restaurants For Pepsi Dig In

You can nominate your favorite restaurant.

Pepsi Dig In has teamed up with Slutty Vegan Founder and CEO Pinky Cole Hayes to uncover the best Black-owned restaurants across the country with help from patrons.

As part of the third consecutive year of Pepsi Dig In’s Restaurant Royalty program, the platform designed to amplify Black-owned restaurants, it wants diners to nominate their favorite Black-owned eateries for the reward program. Prize perks of this year’s program include foodie experiences across the country and bringing a nominated restaurant to MGM Resorts International in Las Vegas.

Cole Hayes’ role involves using her experience and insights to inspire the next success story among Black-owned restaurants. Her ongoing partnership with Pepsi Dig In aligns with the campaign’s support of her thriving vegan food empire since its early stages.

“Slutty Vegan wouldn’t be where it is today without its community of fans. From the start, they’ve been dedicated and loyal in supporting Slutty Vegan’s journey from a food truck to a multi-city restaurant chain and $100 million brand,” Cole Hayes says.

“That’s why I’m thrilled to be partnering with Pepsi Dig In, a platform that has been there for me since the beginning, to inspire even more foodies to be vocal about their favorite restaurants and help crown them Restaurant Royalty.”

This year’s winning fan-nominated restaurant will receive a feature in the Pepsi Dig In Restaurant Royalty Residency in Las Vegas as part of an ongoing partnership with MGM Resorts International and one-on-one mentoring from Cole Hayes. Foodies and restaurants can take advantage of the Rewards for the Royalty program.

For the Black-owned businesses, five of the most-nominated restaurants will receive point-of-sale hardware courtesy of Square to enable future growth, $4,000 in Yelp digital media credits, digital promotion by Pepsi Dig In and EatOkra, the largest database of Black-owned restaurants, and enrollment in Black Restaurants Deliver, a program designed to help with building online presence and ordering capabilities.

Specially selected fans will enjoy a plethora of prizes, including a grand prize trip for two to the Super Bowl in New Orleans in 2025, an intimate chef’s table experience in New York City, an opportunity to take part in the 2024 Pepsi Dig In Day celebrations, curated food tours, and roundtrip JetBlue travel certificates to take flight to their next adventure.

Fans have until June 30 to submit their favorite local restaurant on DigInShowLove.com and enter for a chance to win various food-centric experiences. Find Black-owned restaurants at EatOkra. Participants can nominate their favorite restaurants at DigInShowLove.com.