Attitudes towards immigrants and refugees remain a divisive topic in the United States, but a popular on-demand food platform appears to be promoting acceptance towards the two groups with the announcement of a new program.
DoorDash launched Kitchens Without Borders on Thursday, which is a program dedicated to supporting immigrant and refugee foodservice operators by connecting them with consumers on a personal level.
Tony Xu, CEO and Co-founder of DoorDash, said he was inspired by his own family’s journey as immigrants in the United States.
“My mom ran a Chinese restaurant with the purpose of creating a better life and fulfilling her dream of becoming a doctor,” said Xu. “DoorDash was founded for people like my mom—people who came here with a dream to make it on their own. With Kitchens Without Borders, we’re continuing that mission to connect people and possibility.”
To promote the initiative, the company also launched a dedicated Kitchen Without Borders website that features the video stories of 10 San Francisco Bay Area food entrepreneurs.
In his video, Aref Elgaali, Chef and Co-owner Z Zoul Cafe, describes the process of fulfilling his lifelong dream of opening a business in the US as a Sudanese immigrant.
“I did my master’s degree in finance. Full suit every time, going for meetings, traveling a lot,” said Elgaali. “When I came to this country, I don’t want to go again and be an employee. Let’s do something I like all my life. I like cooking.”
In another video, Dilsa Lugo, Chef and Owner of Los Cilantros, describes how her mother’s cooking in Mexico inspired her to open a restaurant with fresh-only food.
“My mom used to go to the market every day to pick the fresher ingredients,” describes Lugo. “I think it’s nicer to go to the market more often, especially for things like cilantro, so that’s the way we are cooking here.”
The other featured restaurants are Besharam, Onigilly, Sabores Del Sur, West Park Farm& Sea, Little Green Cyclo, Afghan Village, D’Maize, and Sweet Lime Thai Cuisine.
According to the press release, the initiative aims to provide visibility to historically under-resourced food entrepreneurs while cultivating a more sustainable and inclusive food economy.
“We serve over 310,000 merchants on the platform today, many of whom are immigrants — in fact, a third of business owners in the restaurant industry are immigrants. Still, the hurdles for these entrepreneurs is disproportionately high: In addition to reduced access to capital, they also face high failure rates common in the restaurant industry,” said Xu in a blog post.
Additionally, the program will give participating restaurants credits for free delivery for up to six weeks, extra marketing and promotional opportunities and increased visibility on the DoorDash site.
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