Yelp is partnering with nonprofit Gold House to help support Asian-owned businesses.
In a blog post, Yelp reported a 130% increase in searches for them in February, compared to the same time last February.
As a result, the search company is teaming up with the nonprofit for a new attribute that'll allow businesses to note Asian ownership.
“Asian American and Pacific Islander crimes haven’t stopped — alarmingly, they’ve come even closer to home, present in our communities from Chinatowns to Filipinotowns," said Program Directors Mikkoh Chen and Megan Ruan. "We hope Yelp’s new business attribute for AAPI business owners helps drive safe foot traffic into each enclave, benefits local communities economically, and provides community-driven oversight and action into the safety of our neighbors and elders for years to come.”
During a search, Yelp users would select the attribute, which would help them find the businesses in their communities.
Yelp said the new attribute is an opt-in only.
Yelp said they would protect businesses that choose to self-identify as Asian-owned.
They said they'd proactively monitor the pages and remove any hateful or racist speech posted on those pages.
