Black and Mobile, 3 years after launch, continues to grow
PHILADELPHIA -- August is Black Business Month. All month long, we are celebrating local businesses that are making an impact in the community. Meet the twin brothers behind the growing Black and Mobile delivery service in Philadelphia.
"We support Black people, the Black business, the Black community, the dollar circulation," David Cabello said. "All of that."
In today's ever-growing food delivery industry, being mobile is important. But for twins David and Aaron Cabello being Black is essential. The 27-year-olds are behind the latest food delivery app Black and Mobile. They only deliver from Black-owned restaurants.
"We're in five markets. We're trying to get to about eight to 10 markets by the end of the year hopefully," Aaron said.
"No, the end of next year," David said. "Two more markets this year and next year."
The brothers launched the service in 2019.
David worked in food delivery prior to founding Black and Mobile, but he says he began to notice a trend.
"The biggest thing was, how come I'm not picking up from any Black-owned restaurants? We rarely picked up from Black restaurants," David said.
"If we don't create the alternative option, they're going to settle for what they got," Aaron said.
Months after they launched, the pandemic hit. Lockdown orders forced people to stay home, which the twins say helped them grow. And then came the racial awakenings of 2020, including the police killing of Walter Wallace Jr. in West Philly.
Aaron and David say the social unrest that followed put a spotlight on their business in an unfortunate way.
"When bad things happen, people want to support more and I hate it," David said. "I hate the fact that Black men have to be murdered or something bad has to happen for people to support Black businesses. It's not right."
Today, they continue to link up with more Black-owned businesses. They recently teamed up with Stripp'd Juice.
"The relationship has been short thus far," Khoran Horn said, "but I got to say, I dig them like a shovel, you know? I do."
Horn opened the restaurant in Old City in 2015.
After doomed attempts with bigger delivery services, they're now partnered with Black and Mobile.
"They seemed very restaurant friendly and more so, they seemed very Black-owned friendly," Horn said.
So friendly, drivers say they're working with them hand in hand.
"We're right there with them," driver Jameel Braxton said. "They're also still in the field working with you as well."
In the past three years, they say they've gotten some pushback from bigger food delivery services, which they see as a good thing.
"The fact that we're seeing that happen shows that we're making an impact," David said.