How to Find Minority-Owned Businesses on Yelp, Google, Uber Eats and More

Minority-owned businesses have gotten walloped during the pandemic. A study from H&R Block released earlier this year found that 53% of Black small businesses saw profits drop by half, compared with 41% of white-owned companies. More than half (55%) of minority-owned small businesses laid off workers or shut down entirely, according to a May 2020 survey from McKinsey, compared with 48% of all respondents.

And while 70% of white-owned businesses received assistance through the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program, according to the Federal Reserve, only 31% of Black-owned companies and 44% of Hispanic-owned businesses did.

Aiming to eliminate that disparity, Saturday is Buy Minority Business Enterprise Day, intended “to generate awareness, support and revenue to the millions of minority-owned firms across the country,” the Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency says on its website.

Major online retailers and delivery platforms are already working to highlight businesses owned and operated by Asian, Black, LGBTQ and female entrepreneurs, among others. National Hispanic Heritage Month began on Sept. 15 and runs through Oct. 15, and many sites are now spotlighting Hispanic, Latino and Chicano entrepreneurs.

Below, we share how you can use sites like Amazon, eBay, Yelp and DoorDash to find minority-run businesses both in your area and on the internet.

Amazon

The online retail giant allows sellers to include a variety of information on their “seller credentials” page, including if they are Black-owned, Latinx-owned or women-owned. The Amazon Launchpad microsite spotlights small businesses, including minority-run companies.

As with almost all platforms, sellers self-identify their credentials on Amazon, so you may want to do some research. In addition, just because a business is minority-run doesn’t mean its product is good. So look at those reviews.

Etsy

The online craft site allows shoppers to search for Asian and AAPI-owned, Black-owned, disabled-owned, Jewish-owned, Latinx-run, Native-owned, female-owned, queer-owned and veteran- and military family-run shops, among other categories. (You may want to try different keywords to get to everything.)

Etsy also regularly spotlights sellers from the various groups, like Sandra and Jennifer Mapp of Kindred Essence soaps and fragrances, vibrant fashions from The Vintage Jesus and the traditional quilts of Gee’s Bend.

Google

In 2022, Google added an “LGBTQ-owned attribute” option for businesses with verified Google Business Profiles, joining the Black-owned, Latino-owned, veteran-owned and women-led tags already on Google Search, Shopping and Maps.

The “Black-owned business” attribute was added at the start of Black History Month 2021, following increased discussions about racial injustice in the US.

“Historically, Black-owned businesses have served as gathering spots for Black communities throughout the country and provided a strong sense of ownership and belonging for those who were denied equal rights,” Google said in a statement at the time. “As more Black businesses come online, they’re creating new pathways for economic opportunity and generational wealth in the Black community.”

DoorDash

You can search DoorDash for Black-owned restaurants in many major US cities and look for “Black-owned” and “women-owned” tags on all kinds of business profiles. (Businesses can apply for the tag on their profile with DoorDash Merchant Support.) 

There’s also a profile of several queer-owned restaurants on the DoorDash blog.

The Intentionalist

Encouraging visitors to “spend like it matters” and support diverse communities, The Intentionalist lists thousands of restaurants and other small businesses across the country. The Seattle-based site sorts for Asian-owned, Black-owned, Latino-owned, LGBTQ-owned, Native-owned, veteran-owned and woman-owned companies, among other categories.

Intentionalist CEO Laura Clise said she wanted to “accelerate the space between intention and action,” especially during the pandemic. “We can’t take the small businesses at the heart of our communities for granted,” she told The Seattle Times.

Macy’s

The 163-year-old department store spotlights thousands of products from minority-helmed brands on the Diverse Owned Brands section of its website, including those produced by people who identify as Asian American and Pacific Islander, Black, Latino and Hispanic, LGBTQ, and women. 

Uber Eats

Uber Eats has partnered with the EatOkra app, which connects diners to Black-owned eateries, restaurants and food trucks around the country. As of 2022, EatOkra’s database includes more than 10,000 listings in cities like Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami and Seattle.

You can find a restaurant and then order takeout from within the app via Uber Eats. (Apple has also partnered with the EatOkra app to show Black-owned eateries on Apple Maps.)

Yelp

In 2020, after a police officer murdered George Floyd and there were increased calls for racial justice, Yelp added a tool that allows businesses listed on the site to self-identify as Black-owned.

“There can be no going back to ‘business as usual’ when the protests, tweets and news cycle die down,” Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman said in a June 2020 blog post. “We all have to do our part to get educated, and we must use our voices, votes and whatever power and platform we have to reject racism in all its forms.”

Yelp’s Ones to Watch series also spotlights top Asian-, Black-, Latinx-, LGBTQ- and women-owned businesses nationwide.

To find those businesses near you, go to Yelp.com and enter the relevant term — like “Black-owned restaurants” or “women-owned boutiques” — and hit the search button. Companies that have added the appropriate attribute on their Yelp for Business profile will come up.

Companies listed on Yelp can also categorize themselves as “open to all,” indicating they maintain a welcoming and safe environment for customers and employees alike, “regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, immigration status, religion or disability.” 

Other resources 

Many mainstream shopping and news sites have compiled roundups of minority-owned businesses for Hispanic Heritage Month, Black History Month, Pride and other occasions.

You can also Google “X-owned businesses” and your town’s name to find shops in your area or hit Twitter or Instagram with hashtags like #blackownedrestaurants or #jewishownedbusiness to find what you’re looking for.

In addition, you can check out these online resources:

• By Black has certified more than 24,000 Black-owned businesses “from hair care to health care” and offers city guides for Baltimore; Philadelphia; Oakland, California; and Orlando, Florida.

• Regarding Her profiles women-run restaurants in the metro Los Angeles and Washington, DC, areas.
• Pride Guide USA is a national directory of gay-owned and LGBTQ-friendly businesses, services and resources.

• Founded by Edward L Dillard, EatBlackOwned.com features more than 4,000 cafes, diners and restaurants around the world.
• VeteranOwnedBusiness.com is a clearinghouse for 37,000-plus companies and services owned by veterans, reservists, active duty service members and military spouses.
• This open-source Google Doc compiles articles and spreadsheets listing Black-owned restaurants, wineries, farms and other food businesses