Super Bowl headliner The Weeknd kicked off Black History Month with a bang for sure.
Variety says the starboy donated 150 meals from Black-owned restaurant Mama’s Southern Soul Food to frontline healthcare workers at AdventHealth Carrollwood. The meals, and your could feel this coming, were delivered by Postmates.
“It’s the first day of #BlackHistoryMonth and we’re kicking it off with The Weeknd and a surprise in Tampa Bay,” said a tweet from Postmates.
According to a press release on Postmates, The Weeknd ordered “delicious plates of baked chicken, yams, and other favorites, to fuel the doctors and nurses that are fighting on the front lines of this pandemic.” Healthcare workers have been fighting the pandemic since day one, so you can say they’ve earned it and then some.
Yesterday, AdventHealth posted a minute-long Facebook video thanking both the “Blinding Lights” singer—who’s using $7 million of his own money on his halftime show at Raymond James Stadium—and meal delivery service.
“AdventHealth Carrollwood is so grateful for the generous donation of 150 meals for our frontline staff who’ve been working tirelessly through this COVID-19 pandemic,” said AdventHealth Carrollwood President/CEO Erika Skula in the video.
Mama’s Southern Soul Food chef/owner Evonn Reaves tells Creative Loafing Tampa Bay someone from Postmates reached out about a week ago.
“It feels great. Perhaps they chose us for two reasons: this is Black History Month and we are a small Black business,” he says. He thinks this opportunity will help the small restaurant going forward. “More people will know about us and know we’re here."
Reaves said customers can call their Tampa and Brandon locations this week for caterings, Super Bowl or not.
The donation is part of a new partnership between The Weeknd and Postmates, its first with a public figure, where users can find a collection of Black-owned restaurants in their area called “The Weeknd’s Picks” located at the top of the app. Last summer, UberEats similarly supported Black-owned businesses by waiving delivery fees for customers. The Uber promotion did not change the agreement between the restaurants and the app, which takes service fees on every order, and Creative Loafing Tampa Bay has reached out to Postmates to see if it’s extending and service fee breaks to the Black-owned businesses it’s highlighting.
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