PEPSI® Dig In, a platform designed to drive access, business growth and awareness for underserved restaurants, has brought six all new dishes with four new crafted cocktails to Las Vegas for its third annual Restaurant Royalty Residency. MGM Resorts International’s Fan District at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino and Luxor Hotel & Casino is the only place to experience the limited-edition menu items, showcasing concepts from some of the best restaurants from across the country.
This year’s residency kicks off with Slutty Vegan’s widely popular plant-based Fussy Hussy burger, Pinky Cole Hayes’s signature dish that has fans lining up everywhere it debuts. In addition, foodies can also try Chef Q Bennett’s beloved Bourbon Chicken Lollipops from Q1227 in Roseville, CA, fan-voted and crowned this year’s Pepsi Dig In Restaurant Royal. In May, Pepsi Dig In tasked foodies to submit and vote for their favorite neighborhood restaurant that uplifts and supports the Black community as part of its annual Restaurant Royalty program. As this year’s winning restaurateur, Chef Bennett was awarded a spot in this year’s residency and will gain valuable mentoring from entrepreneur Cole Hayes’s along the way.
“Las Vegas is a culinary destination where people go to taste the best of the best. It’s an honor to be joining Pepsi Dig In alongside an incredible line-up of talented restaurateurs, and be bringing Slutty Vegan’s iconic burger to Las Vegas for the first time exclusively to MGM Resorts. The real winners here are the foodies who have so many delicious reasons to keep coming back!” said Pinky Cole Hayes.
This year’s Pepsi Dig In Restaurant Royalty Residency at Mandalay Bay’s Libertine Social and Luxor’s Public House will run from September 21 through February 7, featuring each dish for four weeks. Diners will be able to select from custom cocktails featuring a variety of Pepsi-Cola® beverages created by master mixologist Tiffanie Barriere such as the PEPSI® Wild Cherry Margarita, STARRY® Shimmering Martini, Smoky PEPSI® Old Fashioned and Bubly Boulevardier, along with delicious dishes from eateries across the country that include Slutty Vegan, Q1227, Taco Mell, Sienna Wings, NYAM, and Vyoone’s.
“Four years ago, we launched the Pepsi Dig In program to help spotlight and uplift underserved restaurants,” said Scott Finlow, Chief Marketing Officer of PepsiCo Away From Home. “Through our partnership with MGM Resorts, the Restaurant Royalty Residency gives diners from around the world the opportunity to experience new, delicious flavors made even better with Pepsi. In its third year, the program gives restaurateurs a coveted spot on the Las Vegas Strip, unparalleled visibility for their business, and brings their incredible dishes in front of a larger audience.”
Tony Gladney, Vice President of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, MGM Resorts International, added: “This partnership and culinary residency with Pepsi Dig In is important to our ongoing commitment to celebrating the diverse talent in the culinary world while delivering our guests a world-class experience.”
To celebrate each restaurateur’s spot in the residency, foodies who visit the participating restaurant’s original locations during their respective residencies will get a free PEPSI® Zero Sugar while supplies last to pair with their meal.
Foodies may also enter to win a chance at their own Las Vegas getaway for two including roundtrip airfare, two-night stay and complimentary dinner to try out one of the exclusive dishes during the residency. To enter, fans can post a short video on Instagram describing their own favorite dish that is unique to their hometown and tag @PepsiDigIn, #Sweepstakes and #CityLove. Additional rules will apply.
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