Here's how two apps are connecting Black-owned restaurants with new customers

When Anthony Edwards Jr. And his girlfriend at the time, Janique, moved to Brooklyn for the first time in 2016, they struggled to find food that was comfortable and known to them.

They explored their neighborhood, said Edwards, but had a hard time finding in the neighborhood of black restaurants in the area. There were few resources for this in addition to group skats and informal lists. So, with the encouragement of Janique, now his wife, he used his computer science diploma to make a platform for users to find black eateries.

The two co-founder of Eatokra, an app that now has 20,000 monthly active users and yielded around $ 700,000 in income in 2024.

“While we put it there in the world, we immediately saw people attracted and to be honestly:” I am looking for an app like this “and we still hear this to this day,” said CNBC.

They were not the only ones. In 2020, Brax Rich was looking for a way to support restaurants in black ownership in the midst of the COVID pandemie. He launched Black Foodie Finder, originally as a social media room for marking eateries. Now Black Foodie Finder has 1.3 million Instagram followers and spotlight restaurants, chefs and recipes in the app.

“I think our impact was really great,” Rich, CEO of Black Foodie Finder, told CNBC. “We would emphasize a restaurant, and the next thing I know, the message from the owner on social media:” Hey, where did all your new guys come from? “

This is a look at how these platforms present black companies and black food professionals:

Eatokra users can search for restaurants, caterers and food trucks based on keywords or proximity. About 20,000 companies in the US are available to browse its database, including their locations, user reviews, contact details and online order options. Eatokra, named after the plant used in African diaphist dishes, also gives a list of black food products on the market.

The platform offers two levels for companies that want to participate in the database: a free Lite option and a paid plus subscription that offers extra functions, online business courses and more space on the app for $ 9.99 per month. Edwards said that Plus membership serves as the primary business model of Eatokra.

The current partners of Eatokra are Catering Company Ezcater and Pepsi Dig, Pepso Initiative to promote companies in black. It also works together with Apple Tickets to produce local guides for black eateries.

The company offers resources on topics such as marketing, supply chain and restaurant growth, said Jason Wallace, director of business solutions from Eatokra and an educator of food service.

“It has been exactly what the independent restaurant owner needs,” said Wallace. “There is a mother and pop aspect that needs to be refined so that they can develop those CEO skills, that COO skills that Eatokra brings on the table. And to be honest it is refreshing for the operator to know that they are that they are not on their own. “

Ken Polk, chef and partner at Battery & Berries, said that the restaurant established in Chicago came to Eatokra to increase its visibility a few years ago, especially among travelers who could use Eatokra to find local black companies.

“I thought the platform was ingenious, especially in this time where we live, where things are just buried and it is very difficult to find something,” Polk told CNBC. “It's a beacon.”

Edwards said Eatokra's efforts to build a community for black restaurants in his culinary Creatives conference, which debuted in New York City in October. The one -day event brought around 500 attendees to build connections, put suppliers in the spotlight and discuss business strategies.

The most rewarding part, said Edwards, was that people see mentors and other companies stuck. He eventually hopes to plan a national conference in several Friday.

“This conference is intended to be an incubator, to be a catalyst for current and future entrepreneurs to come together – to get the education to get the community and networks they need,” Edwards told CNBC.

Jeremy Joyce, founder of website Black People Eats, said that Eatokra offers a platform for restaurants that do not have the resources for marketing campaigns. He has discovered countless restaurants via Eatokra, he told CNBC.

“What they do is very impactful. Because I did the research, and at the time there was no other app that did what they did,” said Joyce.

Clark Wolf, founder and president of Restaurant Consulting Firm Clark Wolf Company, said that the rise of Eatokra will come at a time of increased representation and recognition of black food culture. He mentioned the Netflix docuseries of 2021 “High On The Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America” ​​and the success of James Beard Award-winning chief Kwame Uiguachi as examples of the growing interest.

“This is at a time that in American culture, although there is a push against, we have recognized black history, African -American influences in food and agriculture,” Wolf said.

Yet challenges for Eatokra and the companies that support it are. Wallace said fluctuating food prices, President Donald Trump's urge to more deportations and the disposable income of the consumer all present potential headwinds for independent restaurants.

“We are still determined in what we will continue to do and for whom we are going to fight,” said Edwards. “That is not going to change.”

Rich said that Black Foodie Finder is a one-stop-shop for all things to eat and drink in the black community.

Social media are “meat and potatoes” by Black Foodie Finder, Rich said, and it often serves as an gateway for newcomers to BFF.

“It's really just about a community and, while we emphasize these people, ensure that we place them in their best light,” Rich told CNBC. “I can honestly say that that has been the best return. It's a kind of secret sauce.”

On the BFF app, which has 75,000 active users and around 15,000 restaurant references, users can find in the neighborhood of black eateries in the area, as well as profiles for local chefs and recipes for dishes such as Peach Cobbler.

Heather Rose, CEO of Restaurant Consulting Firm Black Ink Team, said BFF's Spotlight on Chefs increases companies by gaining access to the people behind them.

“It brings you directly into contact with the person who is the creative director behind the company,” Rose told CNBC.

Black Foodie Finder has previously inked business partnerships, but the current primary source of income is the BFF -Cookout, a food festival in Memphis, Tennessee, where the company is located. The inaugural cookout in September, with sponsors, including Clorox-Science charcoal company Kingsford, brought around 3,000 people to Tom Lee Park for food sellers and musical versions.

Rich said it was important for him that the cookout encouraged everyone, from families who enjoy child -friendly programming to suppliers who received a fair fee. The festival will return this year, he told CNBC and he wants to expand it.

“At the end of the event our sellers came to us and were like:” Wherever you go, I want to follow, “he said.

Rich also hopes to expand the presence of BFF's Media. The company is currently looking for producing short shows and video segments that emphasize restaurants, possibly on television.

It is part of Rich's vision for Black Foodie Finder as a space to emphasize companies.

“Most companies and most people in the food space, they are experts in food,” said Rich. “Sometimes they just don't have the platforms or support to grow. And that is what we are. We are that support system.”