Customers In Pittsburgh Looking To Support Black-Owned Businesses
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Support for Black-owned businesses is seemingly surging alongside nationwide protests following the death of George Floyd in police custody.
In its second-quarter economic average report, Yelp says between May 25 and July 10, there were over 25 million searches for Black-owned businesses on the site. Over the same span in 2019, Yelp reported around 35,000 searches.
It's a jump of over 7,000 percent.
Tim Guthrie, the owner of Casa Brasil in Highland Park, says he's seen a change in his business in recent months but admits it's not consistent.
Surges will typically come immediately after his restaurant is featured in an online post or article about Pittsburgh's Black-owned businesses.
"The first time that happened, we had to shut down a few days in a row," he said. "It was too busy. So then we see the next week, it wanes back down."
Black-owned businesses have been hit significantly hard by the pandemic, according to an April report from the University of California at Santa Cruz.
According to the report, over 440,000 Black business owners shut their doors for good by mid-April, a 41 percent decrease.
Kevin Watson, owner of Chef's Table in Ross Township, says he has seen a steady flow of takeout customers through the pandemic.
"I have to say, the Ross Township community, they've been showing us a lot of love," Watson said.
Guthrie expressed the importance of supporting Black-owned businesses more than one time.
"As we welcome that when it happens, I also always try to let people know, hey, we're going to be here all year round," he said.
He also highlighted the need for people to support Black-owned businesses other than restaurants.
"There's plenty of other Black businesses that are out here looking for support as well," Guthrie said. "You might not need an insurance agent tonight. But the next time you need an insurance agent, will you go out of your way to look for a Black insurance agent?"
KDKA's Ken Rice recently spoke with Khamil Scantling, a University of Pittsburgh graduate who created an online directory of Black-owned businesses in the Pittsburgh area.
Click here for the directory.
