A Flawless Set

Black restaurants have long exemplified food, family and freedom in our community. Many of the restaurants highlighted in the Black Diamond Series became a gathering spot for civil rights discussions in addition to the place where weddings, births and anniversaries were celebrated. To have a business in operation for more than 50 years is a testament to great service, a steadfast commitment to community, and irreplaceable food.

Black Diamond Legacy Class

Gates BBQ - 70+ Years
Dooky Chase - 80 Years
Harold and Belle's - 50+ Years
This is It Houston - 60+ Years
Frenchy's - 50+ Years
Paschal's - 70+ Years
Sylvia's Restaurant - 50+ Years
The Chicken Hut- 65+ Years

Gates BBQ

70+ Years Kansas City, Mo

Kansas City’s Gates helped make barbecue mainstream. The Gates Bar-B-Q logo exemplifies everything about Kansas City’s longest standing Black owned restaurant. The logo is of a man in a black tuxedo, wearing a black top hat, while wielding a cane at his side as he elegantly strolls with a bag of Gates barbecue in his free hand. It exemplifies class, pride, and dignity, but with an understanding that nobody is too good for a bag of barbecue.

Dooky Chase

80 Years, New Orleans

Dooky Chase still located in heart of New Orleans 80 years later. Home is where the dinner table is — and for almost 80 years, people from all over the world have found themselves home at Dooky Chase. Built-in the heart of New Orleans, Dooky Chase survived through countless challenges, representing the durable spirit of the restaurant’s founders, Edgar and Emily Chase. Dooky Chase has served as a testament to the restaurant’s principal idea… that no matter how tough things get, everything can be resolved over a good bowl of gumbo.

Harold & Belle's

50+ YEARS LOS ANGELES

51 years later, Harold and belle’s still has expansion on its mind during a pandemic. More than five decades after they began importing Creole recipes to Los Angeles, Harold & Belle’s is still advancing their narrative.

This is It Houston

60+ Years Houston, TX

This is It serves as soul food haven in Houston Since 1959, This Is It has been one of Houston’s premiere soul food restaurants.
By serving up southern comfort food in Houston’s historically Black neighborhoods, This Is It has become a cultural hub where politicians, entertainers, tourists and working-class customers can all get together over a delicious meal.

Frenchy's

50+ Years Houston TX

Some say it’s the chicken, or the biscuits, or the red beans and rice, that has kept Frenchy’s on top of Houston’s fried chicken game for so long. While that certainly helps, a major part of Frenchy’s survival over the years has been its ability to gracefully and authentically adapt to change — a lesson that has been passed down from one Creuzot to another. Their mission to continue working within the community has become an integral part of the success of their business.

Paschal's

70+ Years Atlanta, GA

Paschal’s continues to evolve 70 years later. A lot of what made Paschal’s an Atlanta staple since Robert and James Paschal opened it more than 70 years ago is still the same. However, the business has evolved several times since its humble beginnings as a 28-seat diner that sold chicken sandwiches for 52 cents in 1947. Although the eatery is now about 1 mile from the original location near Atlanta’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities, they have a similar focus on good southern comfort food and a welcoming atmosphere, said Paschal’s Director of Operations Zane Major.

Sylvia's Resturant

50+ Years Harlem, NY

Sylvia’s Restaurant is a historical archive disguised as a soul food spot. According to founder Sylvia Woods’ granddaughter, Tren’ness Woods-Black, “the history is in the walls.” Dignitaries like former President Barack Obama, musicians like Beyonce and Jay-Z, and civil rights activists like Rev. Al Sharpton have all fellowshipped and dined at the 58-year-old restaurant. If those walls could talk, it would be a historian’s dream to hear just a whisper.

The Chicken Hut

65+ Years durham, nc

Crispy golden skin. Insanely juicy meat. Fresh off the fryer. Seasoned to perfection. This is the famous chicken that cemented The Chicken Hut’s place in Durham, N.C.’s soul food scene and continues to draw new and loyal customers 65 years later. Established in 1957 by Peggy and Claiborne Tapp Jr., The Chicken Hut is the longest continuously operating Black-owned restaurant in the city and the second longest in all of Durham. Now managed by their son and daughter-in-law, Tre and Khya Tapp, the beloved eatery managed to stay open and fully staffed throughout the pandemic, with not even a single day of closure.