Today, DoorDash officially launched Kitchens Without Borders, its new initiative aimed at promoting the businesses of immigrants and refugees.
In a blog post introducing the program, CEO Tony Xu wrote:
“DoorDash’s mission has always been to connect people with possibility by creating valuable opportunities for entrepreneurs to reach new audiences. For immigrant communities facing heightened barriers to success, that goal has become even more important — and for me, it’s at the heart of the company’s story.”
According to the initiative’s website, it aims to spotlight the “human stories of immigrant and refugee business owners, fostering deeper connections to the people making the food we enjoy every day.”
The way DoorDash has decided to do that is pretty creative. The website hosts a series of vignettes, where each San Francisco Bay Area business owner can discuss their own experiences. Plus, each restaurant will actually be promoted on DoorDash’s app, and get free delivery for up to six weeks, as reported by TechCrunch.
The project is a little personal for Xu, who shared he moved to the United States from China when he was five. Working alongside his mom who ran a Chinese restaurant, Xu said he saw firsthand “what it takes to make it in this country.”
“Over the course of 12 years, she eventually saved up enough money to become the doctor that she wanted to be and opened up a medical clinic, which she has now been running for the past 20 years,” Xu wrote.
The program is limited to the San Francisco Bay Area at this time. However the company plans to expand it across the country in a few months, a DoorDash spokesperson told TechCrunch.
This program has the potential to positively impact immigrant and refugee business owners across the country. It not only gives people a chance to tell their story, but it also does more by providing them with promotion within DoorDash, and free delivery that’ll make customers more likely to try them out.
Currently, the ten featured restaurants are Besharam, Z Zoul Cafe, Onigilly, Los Cilantros, Sabores Del Sur, West Park Farm & Sea, Little Green Cyclo, Afghan Village, D’Maize and Sweet Lime Thai Cuisine.
