Social movements typically inspire collective efforts to uplift marginalised groups. This was observed following the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, which gained international attention following the murder of George Floyd in 2020. It influenced peoples’ actions to support Black communities and Black-owned businesses.

To study how the BLM movement had an impact on Black-owned restaurants, Professor Sumit Agarwal and colleagues from NUS Business School analysed food order data from one of the largest food delivery platforms in the US, identifying over 700 Black-owned restaurants across the country. The control group was represented by nearby non-Black-owned restaurants in the same delivery zones as the Black-owned restaurants. In response to the BLM movement, the platform had introduced an app feature in 2020 highlighting Black-owned restaurants on its homepage.

"The Black Lives Matter movement was one of the largest social movements in U.S. history, sparking global conversations on racial justice. We saw its presence everywhere—BLM logos displayed in the windows of local homes, corporations pledging support, and social media amplifying calls to action. As economic researchers, we wanted to go beyond anecdotal observations and rigorously examine whether this movement translated into tangible economic support for marginalised communities,” said Prof Agarwal.

Data published in Nature Human Behaviour revealed that food delivery orders from Black-owned restaurants rose by 38.7%, and the total spending on these orders also grew by 36.2% compared to non-Black-owned restaurants.

The researchers attributed the increase in food orders and spending to a national outpouring of racial sympathy after Floyd’s murder and strategic platform support. This increase was immediate and lasted for at least 140 days.

However, after Floyd's death and the subsequent rise in BLM movement, customers in white-majority neighbourhoods increased their support more than those in Black-majority neighbourhoods, with a 46.3% increase in orders compared to 31%.

Other findings showed that support from remote areas increased (51.5%) compared to local customers (27.1%), and support rose amongst both new and existing customers. Finally, the increase in food orders from Black-owned restaurants was driven by additional demand rather the reallocation of orders from other restaurants, as orders from nearby non-Black-owned restaurants did not decrease.

This research reflects the consumer behaviour of younger consumers in major US cities, where online food delivery is prevalent, and its findings may not fully generalise to other demographics or represent all social movements. Nevertheless, it highlights how social movements can mobilise collective community action, with corporate organisations like food delivery platform playing a supporting role.