DETROIT – As the movement for racial equity continues, a lot of people have been making an effort to support Black-owned businesses.
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A new app is making it easier. It’s a service like GrubHub, designed to connect you to restaurants with Black owners.
It’s called Black and Mobile. It launched in Detroit a few weeks ago, but has already garnered attention for bringing Black-owned restaurants to customers who might not have found them.
When he dropped out of school in 2016, David Cabello didn’t know what he was going to do. So, to make some money, he started delivering food and notice that something was off.
“GrubHub, Ubereats, Caviar, Postmates, Doordash, eat24? None of them. They’re all either white or Asian-owned. None of them are Black-owned,” Cabello said.
That’s when inspiration struck to create a deliver service of his own to elevate Black chefs and their restaurants.
“I just noticed like I would have to search for these Black-owned restaurants,” Cabello said. “If I didn’t know the name of the Black-owned restaurant, it was hard to find them.”
He started in Philidelphia and expanded to Detroit and Atlanta. In Detroit, they’ve found at least 100 Black-owned restaurants with dozens already on the app.
“It’s helpful. Especially for people who can’t get out,” said Conant Street Grill owner Darrius Tumpkins. “Especially with the lockdown and all that people who want to stay say, ‘It’s helpful. It’s very helpful.‘”
Cabello, 25, said the recent focus on racial injustices has boosted business and put a spotlight on his community, but there’s still more to do.
“A lot of people are finding out about me because of the Black Lives Matter movement and the protests, but I feel like I still haven’t done anything,” Cabello said.
Black and Mobile is still looking for drivers and delivery workers.
You can find more information on Black and Mobile on its official website here.