Davis Ellis hoped to head to Downtown Pittsburgh and cook soul food for the throngs of football fans expected to jam the city for the 2026 NFL Draft.
He won’t get the chance.
The NFL denied his vendor application, and the owner of the ChefnaBox food truck said Wednesday he wasn’t sure why.
Secrecy has dominated many aspects about the upcoming draft, which will likely host hundreds of thousands of visitors from April 23-25 in Downtown and the North Shore. That has led to frustration for small business owners like Ellis.
Officials said they won’t release a list of vendors until after the event. It’s unclear exactly how many establishments will be involved with the draft. And it’s a mystery how much money the league plans to spend on local businesses.
About 1,700 businesses have applied to participate as licensed vendors. More than 165 were accepted, according to the NFL, but beyond that, the league would not provide details.
Helping the Black community?
After facing the frustration of a rejection from the NFL, Ellis pivoted.
He looked instead to join a separate event to uplift Black-owned businesses outside of the draft’s official footprint.
Ellis hoped his food truck would be among the roughly 100 minority-owned vendors local event organizer William “B” Marshall planned to host along Liberty Avenue and in Market Square.
Marshall has for years organized Juneteenth celebrations and soul food festivals in Pittsburgh.
The city, however, has not accepted Marshall’s event permit application.
Pittsburgh isn’t greenlighting any applications to host events in the area during the draft or the days immediately before and after it, according to a notice posted on the city’s website.
Marshall on Wednesday said he was not aware of the blackout dates for event permits when he applied in October.
“To me, it doesn’t make a difference,” he said. “If the city of Pittsburgh wanted to help the Black community, they would’ve said this is a great idea.”
‘Not going to be seen’
Business owners like Ellis are unsure how to benefit from the masses expected in Pittsburgh for the draft.
“How’s it going to be a plus if they’re not allowing us to come in there and be a part of it?” Ellis asked.
Tracey Walker has operated her business, T&B Walker Links, for nearly seven years. She sells handmade jewelry and accessories.
Walker had tried to sign up with the NFL to sell her merchandise at the draft. She said an NFL representative told her that she had applied after the deadline.
She, too, had hoped Marshall’s event would give her a different avenue to make money off the major event.
“Without it, small businesses, we’re not going to be seen,” Walker said. “With the draft, this is a great opportunity to get more marketing, more social with the public. And also, it’s going to bring more people in from out of town.”
What the NFL says
The NFL in a statement said millions of dollars will flow into Pittsburgh because of the draft. The league has been working to connect with qualified local businesses for opportunities tied to the event.
The NFL Draft Source program — which hires businesses to work with the league during the event — is described on the NFL’s website as “an opportunity for local businesses and certified diverse businesses (minority, woman, person with disabilities, LGBTQ+ and veteran-owned) to gain exposure to subcontracting opportunities related to the 2026 NFL Draft.”
The NFL said it has been cognizant of local and underrepresented businesses.
“We have been working closely for more than a year with area partners to ensure draft week reflects the city’s character and delivers meaningful benefit to the community — from local and underrepresented businesses to the fans and neighborhoods that define it,” the NFL said Wednesday.
Jerad Bachar is president and CEO of VisitPittsburgh, the local tourism agency that has been at the center of draft preparations. He told TribLive that officials are looking to get a “good, diverse group” of businesses to participate as vendors and entertainers during the event.
“It is important to us to make sure Pittsburgh is represented,” Bachar said.
But Bachar said Marshall’s plan to host a large-scale event along Liberty Avenue and in Market Square wouldn’t be feasible. The areas, he said, will be key pedestrian paths.
“Those are areas within the security area, so there’s not a place for us to be able to allow him to put a festival of that size, just from a public safety perspective alone,” Bachar said.
An ‘authentic experience’
Dianne Day owns Virtual Staffing Source, a company that offers professional staffing services to other local small businesses. Some of her clients had hoped to secure deals to work with the NFL — to no avail.
As a Black business owner, Day said she was disappointed and felt minority-owned businesses weren’t getting many opportunities to participate in the event.
“Our companies are offering that authentic experience in our community,” she said. “Without us being there, they’re not going to have that experience.”
TribLive staff writer Rachel Wilkinson contributed to this report.
