Black and Mobile

Market position

Black and Mobile positions itself as the first and only delivery service partnering exclusively with Black-owned restaurants, differentiating from larger platforms such as Uber Eats, Grubhub, DoorDash and Postmates, which have added Black-owned restaurant filters. Its founder has said he does not view the large platforms as direct competition at the company's current scale, and most partner restaurants also use other delivery providers. Restaurant partners have cited the company's consistent promotion of Black-owned restaurants as a differentiator; in one case (Shugar Shack Soul Food) the platform handled about 30% of the restaurant's delivery orders.

Exclusive focus on Black-owned restaurants and on circulating spending within the Black community, combined with ongoing promotion of partner restaurants, allowance for restaurants to set platform prices above in-house rates, and comparatively high per-mile driver pay.

Technology

Consumer-facing website and iOS app (developed with Philadelphia firm Jumpbutton Studio for the 2020 relaunch), supporting live order tracking, reordering, phone-number authentication, gift cards, scheduled orders and Apple Pay. Deliveries are managed and optimized using third-party software provider Onfleet. The company experienced significant platform reliability problems in 2020 before overhauling its technology team.

Go-to-market

Direct outreach to restaurants by the founder, amplified by social media, influencer endorsement and local and national press coverage; consumer acquisition through the app, website and social channels, with promotions and delivery discounts.

Consumers who want to order from and support Black-owned restaurants, and Black-owned restaurant operators seeking delivery access and added exposure.

Geography

Launched in Philadelphia and expanded to Detroit (March 2020) and Atlanta (May 2020); later reported as operating in Atlanta, Baltimore, Detroit and Philadelphia. A 2022 account described service across Philadelphia, Atlanta and Baltimore, and the app listing states an intention to be available in 50+ cities.

History

The Cabello brothers initially made deliveries themselves on electric bikes after the February 2019 launch. An endorsement in April 2019 from Saudia Shuler, owner of Swampoodle's Country Cookin, on her Instagram account brought additional restaurant sign-ups. After David Cabello was hit by a car in July 2019, operations were halted for several months; he reorganized and ran a Kickstarter campaign that fell well short of its $100,000 goal but generated local and national press and a larger social media following. The company resumed in the fall of 2019 and saw a jump in business. It expanded to Detroit in March 2020 and Atlanta in May 2020, doubling Philadelphia drivers from about 50 to 100 during a three-city hiring spree, and planned a new app built by Philadelphia firm Jumpbutton Studio for July 2020. Technology problems in 2020 intermittently prevented customers from ordering, costing the company $300,000 and some restaurant partnerships; the tech team was subsequently overhauled following an investment from Pepsi, and the company adopted delivery-management software from Onfleet.

Risks & controversies

Platform reliability has been a recurring issue: technology failures in 2020 blocked ordering at times, cost an estimated $300,000 and led to the loss of some restaurant partnerships. Customer reviews on the App Store report late or cancelled orders, missing items, absent order tracking and difficulty reaching customer support. The founder has also noted that increased attention to the business followed the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others, and larger platforms have since added Black-owned restaurant discovery features that reduce the uniqueness of the offering.