Does Labeling and Marketing as “Black Owned” Work?

[Supper]

The most reviewed restaurant in the entire city of Houston and 4th most reviewed in the state of TX on yelp, The Breakfast Klub, proudly advertises itself as black owned and cultured.

The Breakfast Klub - Houston, TX

Specialties: We specialize in breakfast. Our two signature dishes are the Wings & Waffle and the Katfish & Grits. Established in 2001. We are a kasual family style restaurant decorated with modern art, lush plants and wood tables. Located in Houston's Midtown and Zagat rated, the breakfast...

www.yelp.com

Big murals on the side of the restaurant.

Racist non black ppl might be salty bout it. But at the end of the day the food and service is top notch and black people really appreciate having a space where they are comfortable and celebrated so much so that they come from all over the country to patronize this one place.

The way some of y'all are answering is really making me appreciate living in a city like H-town where blackness and black culture is as prominent ,celebrated, successful and bold as it is.

 

[Μαρία]

You don’t have to advertise as black-owned. Nobody else has to do all that and neither do we. Just sell a good product that people want to buy.

 

[Wildhundreds]

The most reviewed restaurant in the entire city of Houston and 4th most reviewed in the state of TX on yelp, The Breakfast Klub, proudly advertises itself as black owned and cultured.

The Breakfast Klub - Houston, TX

Specialties: We specialize in breakfast. Our two signature dishes are the Wings & Waffle and the Katfish & Grits. Established in 2001. We are a kasual family style restaurant decorated with modern art, lush plants and wood tables. Located in Houston's Midtown and Zagat rated, the breakfast...

www.yelp.com

Big murals on the side of the restaurant.

Racist non black ppl might be salty bout it. But at the end of the day the food and service is top notch and black people really appreciate having a space where they are comfortable and celebrated so much so that they come from all over the country to patronize this one place.

The way some of y'all are answering is really making me appreciate living in a city like H-town where blackness and black culture is a prominent ,celebrated, successful and bold as it is.

When you live in a predominantly black neighborhood, where all of your merchants are Asian, Indian/Arab and growing Mexican, black owned DEFINITELY helps..

But if you stay in a integrated neighborhood, it wouldn't. It wouldn't help on a web based platform neither.

 

[Geek Nasty]

People lie about it too much

 

[The Fade]

Usually when it's specifically culturally black related. Something you need actual Black inroads on.


You do better layering your business and having "enough" white representation to throw people off and take their money if you're in a multicultural area. I think if your business has historical rapport, like Uncle Nearest, you can claim Black owned and do good


for Black owned to take off even more, we have to believe that no one can help us but ourselves, it has to be borderline religious

 

[8WON6]

I think it depends on the city.

also, i made a thread once about certain black business owners who would act like their businesses were white owned. I think there's just a whole nuance and circumstance to doing it.

 

[President Sakora]

better to make your business ownership ambiguous. you are absolutely correct, I have multiple businesses and conducted an experiment on this very phenomenon. if you are a black male owner, you might as well have a scarlet letter. be ambiguous, sell to the world.

 

[Supper]

When you live in a predominantly black neighborhood, where all of your merchants are Asian, Indian/Arab and growing Mexican, black owned DEFINITELY helps..

But if you stay in a integrated neighborhood, it wouldn't. It wouldn't help on a web based platform neither.

Thing is this restaurant is in a place called midtown that ain't majority black by any means. I mean it's kinda close to a black area(3rd ward) and it's black frequented, but also very non black frequented. It's a true business district(or major activity center as the city likes to call em) not very residential at all.

So there's just a lot of foot traffic period. Plus, Houston has a large mid class/professional black community which frequent the main MACs of the city.

Also the food and service is just good over all. Look at some of the foreign language reviews on it.

Here's one from a verified Mexico City, Mexico reviewer from Oct.

Es muy rico y sustancioso y el servicio es bueno. Es ideal para la cruda porque es ruidoso y no se puede platicar mucho, tons permite que te recuperes en silencio en tu asiento.

People come from all over to this blackity black joint

 

[1thouwow]

I live in a Mexicac city, but when I go to Target and see products that are black owned in there, it look like they skip right over that shyt. And IMO, I think if they didn’t advertise they were black owned, they would probably trick a few of them mexicacs to buy it

 

[Gobie1kenobie]

I have a side business and I don't market myself as black owned but I get most of my customers through networking and they can see obviously that I'm black so I feel like that's good enough

 

[Wig Twistin Season]

Nope. I remember approaching Master P trying to get him to support my Pops business back in 96 or 97 and telling him we’re black owned and operated. Dude blew me off like I wasn’t there. He probably threw the business card in the trash.

 

[Amerikan Melanin]

Depends on the business. Barbershops and salons = yes.

Other industries you will benefit by saying minority owned. They have incentives to do biz with minority contractors.

I’ve found that if you are competent in your business customers will find you. Especially in the industrial industry.

 

[Silkk]

Fucck No

 

[GoPinheiro]

The most reviewed restaurant in the entire city of Houston and 4th most reviewed in the state of TX on yelp, The Breakfast Klub, proudly advertises itself as black owned and cultured.

The Breakfast Klub - Houston, TX

Specialties: We specialize in breakfast. Our two signature dishes are the Wings & Waffle and the Katfish & Grits. Established in 2001. We are a kasual family style restaurant decorated with modern art, lush plants and wood tables. Located in Houston's Midtown and Zagat rated, the breakfast...

www.yelp.com

Big murals on the side of the restaurant.

Racist non black ppl might be salty bout it. But at the end of the day the food and service is top notch and black people really appreciate having a space where they are comfortable and celebrated so much so that they come from all over the country to patronize this one place.

The way some of y'all are answering is really making me appreciate living in a city like H-town where blackness and black culture is as prominent ,celebrated, successful and bold as it is.

Some of you are not serious and have a very limited view of what business means...

I've also lived in Houston in the past, and visit often to see friends and family, and your analysis is only correct if you are a micro business or if you use small samples as examples. Outside of that, it doesn't work. I know multiple upper-middle and upper-class black Houstonians. The truth is, the biggest black-owned companies in Houston, ranging from Oil, Manufacturing, and Tech to Real Estate, are not advertised as black-owned. You can find footnotes about it, but not the core image. They actually donate a lot to black causes, but their corporate image is not centered around that.

Research on black-owned companies such as Camac Group, Con-Real, Erin Energy Corp, etc...Companies that make billions and employ millions, not a singular restaurant, bar, nightclub, or nail shop. Of course, a singular restaurant can do that. A single restaurant will have some of the most basic marketing and supply chains, and a small number of employees. How many contracts and partners do you need to successfully operate 1 restaurant? How many investors? Again, of course, it is easier to do that when it comes to a restaurant.

Now, where is this at a macro level? Where is the black area in Houston that looks luxurious like the entire River Oaks shopping district and is full of businesses with paintings like this that you posted? Which large black-owned manufacturing or oil company in Houston has the same images that you posted?

 

[GoPinheiro]

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