In honor of Black History Month, Yelp is spotlighting America’s standout local Black-owned businesses across food, beauty and home decor as part of our annual list of Black-owned businesses to watch in 2023. Since its introduction in 2020, more than 51,000 businesses have adopted our Black-owned business attribute, a designation highlighted on each business’s page, which helps make it easier to discover, support and frequent these shops across the country.
View the full list of the Black-owned businesses to watch and save the collection on Yelp!
This year’s list features a wide range of popular shops, community staples, restaurants, beauty services and more, including The Old Town Soap Company, a woman and veteran-owned shop in San Diego beloved for its soaps and lotions; five-star rated La Plancha in Austin, Texas, with popular dishes including La Tejana brisket barbacoa torta; and Cafe CODA, a popular Madison, Wisconsin hotspot, known for its jazz and libations. You can bookmark these spots for your bucket list by following the Collection on Yelp, or even shop online from businesses like Naked Bar Soap in Orlando, Florida.
Yelp’s “Ones to Watch” collection arrives as new research from Harvard Business School, University of California, Berkeley, and Washington University shows businesses who used Yelp’s Black-owned attribute saw a meaningful increase in customer engagement and ultimately demand – as measured by weekly foot traffic, calls, orders and reviews – over a sustained period of time. The study, which explored Yelp-provided data, along with several other data sets – including foot traffic at restaurants and geographic variation in racial attitudes, examined data from seven major U.S. cities over a two year period from April 2019 – August 2021.
Highlights of the research include:
- Indicators of economic success were clear, as businesses saw an increase of more than 30 percent in both total restaurant orders and revenue on the platform following the addition of the attribute
- Restaurants with the attribute saw a 33 percent spike in page views after the feature was added, suggesting a tangible demand among users to support Black-owned shops
- Shops with the Black-owned business attribute saw an increase in the number of weekly visits – as measured by location-based data – by about 10%.
To determine the “Ones to Watch” list, Yelp first collates businesses which have self-identified as Black-owned on Yelp, and selects the final collection using a variety of factors and criteria, including average rating, review counts, the Yelp Community team and more. Businesses featured in the collection are listed alphabetically.
Black-Owned businesses have a long history of enriching the communities they serve, but often face systemic challenges which make it difficult for long-term success. Yelp is committed to providing resources and features such as the Black-Owned business attribute, which tangibly benefit businesses, drive real customer demand, and provide equitable opportunity.
If you are a ‘Black-owned’ business looking to build your base, visit our resource hub, which includes instructions on how to add the attribute to your Yelp Page—plus an array of business resources, inspirational stories, and more.
Is there a local Black-owned business you love? Spread the word! Tell us on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok @yelp!
