Black-owned businesses have seen increased support amid protests. But will that be enough?

In the aftermath of the protests against racism and police violence, there have been calls to support Black-owned businesses, especially restaurants.

Many Black businesses welcome the effort, but say it will take more to fill the deep racial cracks that the protests and the pandemic have exposed.

If you lived in Seattle in the early 1990s, you might remember Marco’s Supperclub. At the time, it was one of the few independent restaurants in downtown Seattle.

It was started by Donna Moodie and her then husband. Moodie would later branch out on her own with the restaurant Marjorie on Capitol Hill, featuring an eclectic menu.

“I’m from Jamaica originally,” said Moodie. “So there’s a little bit of Jamaican influence. I’m fairly well traveled in India, so there’s a little bit of an Indian influence. And then kind of classic French, Italian cooking.”

Moodie has been in the restaurant business for more than 20 years. She appreciates the call to support Black businesses in light of the recent protests.

“It’s almost like people need a little nudge to remember that they want to support Black-owned businesses in general.”

The path for Black entrepreneurs is generally filled with more hurdles than that of their white counterparts, whether it’s finding a landlord who’ll rent to you, or a lender willing to take a chance even when you don’t have the right credit score.

“It’s almost like you start the race behind the starting line. You don’t start at the starting line like most people do.”

William Bradford, dean emeritus at the University of Washington's Foster School of Business, says you might have a good idea or a good product to start a business. But you don’t have the financing, so you make do with what you have.

“So you’re starting behind,” he explains, "in the sense that you really don’t have all the resources you need to generate the sales — that in the business — you could potentially have.”

Bradford says given the lack of access to capital, Black businesses tend to gravitate toward consumer services like restaurants.

“Because you can get into it with less money, that means there’s more competition — and therefore, a higher failure rate.”

And that was even before the pandemic. That disadvantage makes them vulnerable during a major crisis. According to a recent National Bureau of Economic Research report, since the lockdown, 41% of small, Black-owned businesses have permanently closed.

The ones still standing are trying to figure out how to reopen during Phase 2 under these uncertain times.

Daisley Gordon is chef owner of Café Campagne, a French bistro at Pike Place Market. Gordon was on his way to Yakima to pick up produce for the restaurant when I reached him.

“This week I’m going to get asparagus and cherries. We’re using them in our to-go program at our café,” he said.

At this time, the café is limited to takeout orders only. Gordon says they’re taking a cautious approach as if they’re a brand new business.

Gordon had cooked at Café Campagne for many years before the owners asked if he wanted to buy the restaurant. He recalls how the owners became his mentors and helped him navigate the ins and outs of the business, which made a big difference in taking over the iconic business.

“Just not being freaked out and overwhelmed — whether it was rent negotiations, or other things like that. If you don’t start out wanting to be a business owner, those challenges seem really huge.”

Gordon says relationships are key to helping businesses thrive. Donna Moodie of Marjorie agrees. She says often Black chefs or business owners are invited to participate only as an afterthought. That means they miss out on chances to make connections.

"And that would actually lead to investments like, 'Oh I’m doing a second place.' You wouldn’t even need to make phone calls and grovel. When you see all the other big people in town, they get money practically thrown at them. That doesn’t really happen to very many Black owned businesses.”

Moodie says it’s nice that Black businesses are in the spotlight at the moment, but it would be amazing if the support was constant. Because equity requires a broader, deeper investment in the kind of community we want to support, she said.