Black History Month: Here’s how to find and support Black-owned restaurants – CNET

Apps and online services can help you find and support Black-owned businesses in your area.

Each February wehighlight the achievements of Black Americans. And to celebrate Black History Month, many people in the US frequent localBlack-owned restaurantsand other businesses in a show of support for the local community. Following the deaths ofGeorge Floyd,Breonna Taylor,Ahmaud ArberyandRayshard Brooksin a tumultuous 2020 that energized anti-racist education and support for Black Americans, this month is imbued with extra focus onpractical ways to support the Black community-- including where to get your dinner.

Black-owned businesses were among the hardest hit bycoronavirus closures.Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also highlights how Black Americans and people of color have experienced a disproportionate burden of hospitalization and death caused by COVID-19. The CDC notes that discrimination "shapes the social and economic factors that put people at increased risk for COVID-19 infection."

We've compiled a list of options for you to check out when looking for a Black-owned restaurant to support in your area.

Now playing: Watch this: Black Lives Matter: How you can take action today

4:11

The EatOkra app (iPhone, Android), founded by Black developers and programmers, has a list of Black-owned restaurants in many large cities across the country, such as Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, Atlanta and Seattle. You can order takeout from within the app using GrubHub, DoorDash and other delivery services. The app has high ratings on Google Play (4.3/5) and the App Store (4.7/5).

Eboneats helps you find Black-owned restaurants and private chefs across the US and internationally. You can search by state and type of food to narrow down your search. Some states don't have any businesses listed, but it's particularly good in Georgia.

Entertain your brain with the coolest news from streaming to superheroes, memes to video games.

This public Google Doc compiles articles and spreadsheets listing Black-owned restaurants, wineries and farms across the US by state and metro area.

The DoorDash, Uber Eats and Caviar apps can help you find Black-owned restaurants. Search for "Black owned" to see a list of nearby restaurants you can support.

DoorDash says there are hundreds of Black-owned restaurants to choose from within 30 states. When you select one of the businesses, the app should say, "Your order supports this Black-owned business."

DoorDash highlights Black-owned restaurants in its app.

You can go to Yelp.com and enter "Black-owned restaurants," along with your location, and tap the search icon. You'll see a list of restaurants to choose from and some will even say Black-owned or Minority-owned & operated.

Social media is a great place to start when looking for a Black-owned restaurant or business. When you begin your search, selectTagsand then type #blackownedrestaurants[city]. If the area you live in has listed the businesses, you'll see photos with more information, like a menu, a picture of food or a full list of restaurants that are Black-owned.

Do a search on Google that says, "Black-owned businesses in [city name, state]." This should give you a lot of results, from websites with a list of restaurants to pinpoints on Google Maps. Note that you may need to double-check some that are popular chains rather than independently owned restaurants and cafes.

If you search for Black-owned restaurants in Google Maps, search results will show up on the map. Google flags some of these as "Identifies as Black-owned," but even if it doesn't, you're just a few taps away from looking it up to find more information.

If you do the same search inApple Maps, you get local guides from EatOkra, if it has any for nearby cities.

Google Maps can help you find Black-owned restaurants near you.

For more ways to support the Black community, check out theseeight ways to get involved during Black History Month and beyond, watch these movies and TV shows on systemic racism and use Google to find Black-owned businesses.

See the original post:

Black History Month: Here's how to find and support Black-owned restaurants - CNET