GREENSBORO, N.C. — A Raleigh man has made it easier for people to patron black-owned restaurants in North Carolina by creating an online directory.
Victor Waddell said he created Black Menu NC after his search for black-owned businesses did not yield what he wanted.
"I was doing a little research online for black businesses and actually I couldn't find anything that just stuck out," Waddell said.
Waddell created Black Menu NC about a month ago. It currently has just under 200 restaurants listed from the Triad and beyond.
Anyone can send information about a black-owned restaurant to Waddell by hitting the 'Submit a Listing' button on the website.
It's free to list, although a restaurant can pay extra to be a featured listing.
"My hope is that it continues to grow and that this becomes a go-to tool if you’re looking for a black restaurant in North Carolina," Waddell said.
Nezzia Martin owner of the new Summit Cafe in Greenboro said someone listed her restaurant on the site. She found out after a friend sent her the link a few weeks ago.
"And they said look at the link and instantly I knew then. And I said whoever this is that did this, I know we're not supposed to hug, but I wanna give them a big hug," Martin said.
Since then Martin said she's seen a significant increase in business.
"I would say about 25% of the business now is from the people who have seen that ad. And they have been coming in calling wondering asking about our times," Martin said.
Right now restaurants are listed from 8 cities across the state including Greensboro and Winston-Salem in the Triad, but the plan is to expand.
Waddell is also working on a Black Menu NC app that will be available in the App Store and Google Play.
He hopes to have it complete within the next 30-60 days.
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