Yelp has issued its first-ever list of the 50 most-loved restaurant, food and retail brands, as rated by its online community of users. Topping the list is Trader Joe’s, the grocery retailer well-known for its creative private-label food products, Hawaiian-themed decor and accessible prices.
Yelp identified most-loved brands by looking at restaurant, food and retail brands with over 200 locations across 25-plus U.S. states with at least 500 reviews and at least one review for every two locations in 2022. To rank the most loved brands, we assigned each brand a loyalty score, which consists of the brands’ 2022 review rating along with the percentage of business page views by returning visitors.
A few major trends stand out among Yelpers and the brands they love, said Kadecia Ber, advertising trends expert and Director of Enterprise Solutions at Yelp.
“Brands that focus on building local communities are well-represented on our list,” said Ber. “Trader Joe’s and First Watch, for example, make their customers feel like they’re in a local grocery store or diner. The employees know the locals and often go out of their way to help customers—this is what consumers value and reward.”
Popular restaurants and bakery brands that made the list include specialty shop Nothing Bundt Cakes (2), Queens, New York-based bubble tea spot Kung Fu Tea (3) and the rapidly scaling Bradenton, Fla.-based First Watch (4), known for its inventive made-to-order breakfast and brunch food.
Retailers on the list are:
- Floor & Decor (5)
- Costco Wholesale (9)
- World Market (10)
- Lululemon (19)
- HomeGoods (22)
- Nike (32)
- Target (33)
- At Home (35)
- Marshalls (38)
- David’s Bridal (40)
- Boot Barn (43),
- Nordstrom Rack (45)
- Michaels (50)
Click here to see the full list.