Yelp recently added health alerts for users in Chicago, as well as Los Angeles, which will display any health violations related to a restaurant. Health alerts will be accessible through notifications that will be displayed on a restaurant's Yelp page. The feature was originally tested on the Yelp Website in 2015 for San Francisco users, and the platform also released health scores to all United States users in 2018.
It is clear that Yelp is making a concerted effort to inform its users about the health practices of various restaurants. The information could be valuable as health practices could be a deciding factor for consumers looking at prospective places to eat. Additionally displaying health alerts to consumers incentivizes establishments to ensure they are following best practices.
Mobile Restaurant Health Notifications
Yelp Added Health Alerts to the Platform in Two Cities
Trend Themes
1. Increased Transparency in Restaurant Health Practices - Yelp's addition of health alerts on its platform reflects a trend towards greater transparency in restaurant health practices, giving consumers more information to make informed dining decisions.
2. Leveraging Technology for Real-time Health Notifications - Yelp's inclusion of health notifications through its platform demonstrates a trend of using technology to provide real-time updates on restaurant health violations, allowing users to stay informed on potential risks.
3. Consumer Demand for Health-related Information - Yelp's implementation of health alerts caters to a growing trend of consumers seeking health-related information before making dining choices, highlighting the importance of meeting this demand in the restaurant industry.
Industry Implications
1. Restaurant Review Platforms - The addition of health alerts on Yelp expands the potential for other restaurant review platforms to follow suit and provide users with information about health practices, creating opportunities for innovation in this industry.
2. Food Safety Technology - The integration of real-time health notifications by Yelp opens up avenues for the development of food safety technologies that can track and display health violations, offering disruptive innovation opportunities in this industry.
3. Consumer Food Apps - Yelp's inclusion of health alerts could stimulate the demand for consumer food apps that prioritize health information, prompting the development of innovative platforms that revolutionize how users access restaurant health data.