According to the Facebook & Small Business Roundtable, about ⅓ of small businesses had temporarily stopped operating,and by mid-May more than half had laid off or furloughed employees. Small businesses were more likely than those with 100+ employees to report that their revenues from Q1-2020 were down by 20% or more from Q1-2019. This data shows the extent that small businesses have been impacted by the global pandemic. One of the biggest problems small businesses are facing is the financial crisis, because they have lower budgets and fewer customers compared to big companies. This, along with different COVID-19 lockdown policies, makes it even harder to reach out for more customers or even pay for rent and employees.
With Find My Food, small businesses can put their own profile on the platform. These businesses will be able to put in their contact details, types of cuisine, types of food onto the website for potential users to find. These users can filter their results into a specific type of cuisine and/or specific location. By giving these small businesses a platform to advertise to locals, we are helping them lower the impact of Covid-19 on them. Additionally, we are giving local people some recommendations to try new restaurants with delicious cuisine, helping the small businsses gain more customers.