Pepsi Expands Atlanta Footprint in Exclusive Beverage Partnership With Southern Favorite This Is It! Southern Kitchen & Bar-B-Q

ATLANTA, Oct. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In the latest example of its encroachment on its rival's territory, Pepsi today announced it will become the exclusive beverage partner of This Is It! Southern Kitchen & Bar-B-Q (formerly known as This Is It! BBQ and Seafood), pioneers of Southern homestyle cuisine and the south's largest Black-owned fast-casual restaurant chain. After more than 30 years with the competition, This Is It! Southern Kitchen & Bar-B-Q is the biggest local business to join the ever-increasing number of partners #NowServingPepsi. Pepsi is marking the announcement in downtown Atlanta with dynamic digital billboards and limited time offers for fans.

"We are thrilled to be making the momentous switch to serving Pepsi across our 11 locations," said Shelley 'Butch' Anthony III, Founder, President and CEO of This Is It! Southern Kitchen & Bar-B-Q. "As a brand that understands the value of community, seeing the impactful work done in the Atlanta area through their Pepsi Stronger Together initiative made it clear Pepsi is the best partner for us moving forward. Nothing brings people together quite like a good, Southern meal, and we're excited to offer our signature dishes alongside the unmatched flavor of an ice-cold Pepsi."

Beginning tomorrow, multiple digital billboards will be unveiled in high-traffic areas of downtown Atlanta to boldly make it known that This Is It! Southern Kitchen & Bar-B-Q has made 'the switch' and is #NowServingPepsi. The eye-catching creative assets also feature a custom, united logo and messaging celebrating two Southern icons - Pepsi and This Is It! Southern Kitchen & Bar-B-Q ? and their shared love of the Atlanta community and its local bites.

"Our foodservice partners are invaluable to Pepsi, and I am proud to have had our work recognized by a family-run business that is an integral part of Atlanta," said Chauncey Hamlett, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of PepsiCo Beverages North America (South Division). "With more than 2,000 PepsiCo employees and even more fans in the Atlanta-metro area, it is important we continue to invest in the local community. Working with This Is It! Southern Kitchen & Bar-B-Q represents not only a way to demonstrate our continued support of Black-owned businesses, but a way for us to expand our work locally, and for Atlanta residents to finally get to enjoy their This Is It! Southern Kitchen & Bar-B-Q favorites with a Pepsi."

This Is It! Southern Kitchen & Bar-B-Q was inspired to partner with Pepsi after taking notice of the brand's work in the Atlanta area via Pepsi Stronger Together, a series of grassroots initiatives to address issues relating to community, sustainability, and education, as well as Pepsi Dig In, a platform designed to drive access, business acceleration, and awareness to Black-owned restaurants.

For Pepsi, the partnership ladders up to its larger Racial Equality Journey, which in 2020 saw the company announce commitments of more than $570 million over the next five years to elevate diverse voices within the company, supply chain partners, and communities, while helping to address issues of inequality and create opportunity. 

To celebrate the partnership? and in a cheeky nod to the switch to Pepsi ? This Is It! Southern Kitchen & Bar-B-Q is turning their sweet homemade velvet cake from red to Pepsi blue for a limited time only. As a special offer, customers can also purchase a new take on the restaurant's famous 2 for $32 value meals with two dinners, two Pepsi products, and two desserts for only $32, so that everyone can enjoy their favorite rib tips, catfish, fried chicken, pork chops and more with an ice-cold Pepsi. Order online at www.thisisitbbq.com and follow the conversation on social media with #NowServingPepsi.

About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $70 billion in net revenue in 2020, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker, Tropicana and SodaStream. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 23 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Convenient Foods and Beverages by Winning with Purpose. "Winning with Purpose" reflects our ambition to win sustainably in the marketplace and embed purpose into all aspects of our business strategy and brands. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.

About This Is It! Southern Kitchen & Bar-B-Q
Established in 1983, This Is It! Southern Kitchen & Bar-B-Q specializes in delicious, authentic, southern, home-style cuisine and is nationally known for its famous award-winning barbeque rib tips. For over 38 years, This Is It! has been recognized for exceptional hospitality and service paired with the best authentic freshly prepared barbeque and seafood. Headquartered in Fayetteville, Georgia, This Is It! has 11 restaurant locations and one franchise throughout the Metro Atlanta area offering dine-in, to-go, delivery, private and corporate catering, and three full scale event rental spaces. The company recently began operating as This is It! Southern Kitchen & Bar-B-Q as a reflection of its expanded and more health-conscious menu items. Learn more about This Is It! at www.thisisitbbq.com.

SOURCE PepsiCo Beverages North America