I can imagine that verifying and keeping up to date with Black owned businesses is a challenge, and unfortunately this app proves this to be true. The first several restaurants listed near me were found to not be Black owned at all. As I scrolled through the list, the insufficient algorithm pulls up anything with the word “Black” in the name; “Black Bear Diner”, “Black Eyed Pea” etc. Also, the app seems to favor mostly restaurants. What’s clear is that the creators of this great idea do not yet have the structure or bandwidth to make sure that what’s listed on their app are in fact Black owned businesses.That being said, I was able to find several Black owned restaurants that I was not aware of after opening the app (which was better than a Google search), so I’m giving this app a generous 3 stars. The problem, of course, is that I can’t trust what the app is telling me, so I have to do the research for each listed business myself, which is what I was hoping the app would do for me. I am grateful someone has endeavored to create something like this, so I am rooting for their success and will try to continue using the app and flag the non-Black owned businesses along the way (which we do have the capability to do in the app) so their list can hopefully become more accurate along the way.

The initial list that appears when I open the app shows black-owned restaurants across Chicago. But I was disappointed to discover that as soon as I select a category it just shows me all nearby businesses of that type, most or all of which are white-owned. Within certain categories there are a few businesses I know to be black-owned, but there is no way to distinguish those from the others within the app. I wish the best to the developers of this app and hope it evolves to match its intended purpose.

It seems as if this is an issue others are having where businesses are on the app that are NOT black owned. Please if you’re using AI to screen them or to approve or deny business’s i implore you to use a real person. I don’t know if either businesses can request to be on the app or someone searches for black owned businesses to feature on the app but they are 100% NOT doing their job because majority of these are not black owned in my area. And all it takes is either a 2 minute google search on the owners or just being a local to know. So my suggestion is to hire me so i can do the leg work. This is an amazing app that could really make a difference for black owned businesses if it wasn’t flooded with all non black owned businesses.

I can’t trust this app as I see far too many businesses listed that are not black owned. I suggest researching these businesses before you allow them to join the BLAAP Directory. Perhaps a BLAAP data manger for each region of the country. I understand that requires a budget. A free route would be a google form link so app users can report on BOB they would like researched and removed. ONCE THIS IS UP AND RUNNIG, we can do GREAT things and shift our dollars. Don’t give up.