Uber announced last week that it would help customers support black-owned businesses and restaurants through its app.
In an email to customers, the company announced that users in major cities would be able to access a list of black-owned restaurants through a banner on the Uber Eats home page. The company is also offering free deliveries from those restaurants as a means to entice business.
The company also announced plans to offer discounted rides to other black-owned businesses through its ride-hailing platform.
“We are committed to supporting the Black community. As a starting point, we will use Uber Eats to promote Black-owned restaurants while making it easier for you to support them, with no delivery fees for the remainder of the year,” the company said. “And in the coming weeks, we will offer discounted rides to Black-owned small businesses, who have been hit hard by COVID-19, to help in their recovery.”
Numerous companies have moved to show their support for the black community following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in Minneapolis police custody. Video of his arrest, which showed a white officer kneeling on his neck for nearly nine minutes, has sparked protests in cities around the U.S. and in numerous other countries.
A banner reading “Support black-owned restaurants” was visible on the Uber Eats app in Washington, D.C., and other major cities as of Wednesday afternoon, and it allows users to view a curated list of local black-owned restaurants offering delivery or pickup. Many restaurants around the country remain unable to offer dine-in services due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.
“You can support and order from Black-owned restaurants across the US & Canada with a $0 Delivery Fee,” the company added on Twitter, along with a short video naming black-owned restaurants in cities across North America.