Westley Bayas is a foodie. In his work life, the New Orleans native is a political consultant. On his own time, he’s the self-proclaimed “king of brunch.” He loves to explore new restaurants.

But he wishes more of his favorite places were better known and more often in the swirl of conversation about where to eat in New Orleans. Bayas, who is black, particularly wants to see restaurants owned by other black New Orleanians get more attention and do more business.

“Whenever people visit, I want them to meet the same people and see the same neighborhoods I’m around every day,” said Bayas. “There’s some phenomenal restaurants out there, and they’re not all in the tourist areas.”

In mid-July, with some unexpected time on his hands as Tropical Storm Barry effectively shut down the city, Bayas decided to do something about it. He created an online map to help connect the dots, and connect more people with more of these restaurants, the Where Black NOLA Eat maps (see the map here and below).

Today it shows 116 businesses, from full-service restaurants to bars and sno-ball stands. It is intended to grow as people suggest more (you can reach Bayas via Facebook with input).

He started with a roster drawn from lists of local black-owned restaurants that have circulated on social media for years, crediting fellow local food lovers for gathering the initial data. The map made it more visual and interactive.

A controversial response to these lists was the impetus for the restaurant map and a related new Facebook group. It has also helped galvanize a group of like-minded New Orleans food lovers who hope to take it further.

In the days around this year’s Essence Festival, posts sharing these black restaurant lists on the Where NOLA Eats Facebook group drew an acrimonious response. The Facebook group, created in 2017 by NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune, has since July 1 been run by the Times Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate, the brand created after the Advocate bought the Time-Picayune and NOLA.com (this writer is now part of a team of administrators for the Where NOLA Eats Facebook group).

Members of the Facebook group posted comments under these lists that ranged from supportive to critical to racist. Heated arguments ensued in the comment stream.

In response, group administrators deleted many comments and also the original posts that shared the restaurant lists, even though these posts did not violate group rules.

This further angered some in the group. That includes Jalence Isles, and that’s why she decided to start a new Facebook group called Where Black NOLA Eats. It is not related to Where NOLA Eats or its media company.

Through this group, she connected with Bayas, who in short order created the online map. She was amazed by how quickly Bayas was able to put the map together, and how others stepped up to get involved.

“This was done in the spirit of community,” said Isles.

Isles, a real estate developer with a background in accounting and finance, sees the potential for an organized network to promote black-owned restaurants. She’s holding meet ups for group members to convene in person and back up their pledges of support with their wallets.

The group will host its first meet up Thursday (July 25) at the Munch Factory (1901 Sophie Wright Pl.), the modern Creole restaurant in the Lower Garden District. Isles hopes to track the economic impact these events have for restaurants.

“This is not about places where only black people eat, I eat everywhere,” Isles said. “But our businesses, for so many reasons, for the humble beginnings so many of us start from, for the lack of resources for marketing, they struggle and they need our support.”

There are other efforts with a similar aim underway.

The second annual Black Restaurant Week was held in late June and early July at 20 eateries in New Orleans, and Eat NOLA Noir holds its own restaurant events around town. This year, former local TV anchorwoman Camille Whitworth launched a new brand called the New Orleans Culture Card, selling a discount card to a network of black-owned businesses, including restaurants.

As for the Where Black NOLA Eats map Bayas, said its listings are expanding as more suggestions come in, including for caterers and food trucks.

“If I can see more businesses in New Orleans thrive, particularly black-owned businesses, that’s enough for me,” Bayas said. “I tell people to look at the map and ask yourself how many of these restaurants have you been to? Before you criticize it, look at it as an opportunity to try something new.”

+34 8 places we can't wait to eat in New Orleans, for July 2019 The old adage is true. When New Orleans people eat together, we inevitably talk about the last restaurant we visited and the next on our lists.