Yelp reviews generally focus on atmosphere, service and flavor but now Yelp hygiene scorecards showcase the cleanliness standards as determined by health inspection scores. This new initiative was initially launched as a pilot project in New York and San Francisco and leveraged the Local Inspector Value-Entry Specification (LIVES) program. The initial run of restaurants that featured Yelp hygiene scorecards included 200,000 business pages but Yelp expects that number to increase to the millions now that the program is officially launched.
The new program will incorporate ratings from the official Health Department Inspection Scores database. Within this database are restaurants from 42 states and includes restaurants in cities such as New York, California, Texas, Illinois and DC. Yelp has justified its use of hygiene scorecards by referencing a study that showcased the impact of posting hygiene grade cards in restaurants in LA.
Hygiene Scorecard Reviews
Yelp Hygiene Scorecards Display Government Health Inspection Scores
Trend Themes
1. Hygiene Scorecard Transparency - The use of technology to showcase the cleanliness standards of businesses is an opportunity for companies to improve their hygiene practices and boost customer satisfaction.
2. Health Inspection Ratings Integration - The integration and use of health inspection ratings databases in customer reviews platforms like Yelp presents an opportunity for other review platforms to follow suit and offer similar features.
3. Data-driven Consumer Demand - The appeal of hygiene scorecards and transparency of business cleanliness practices indicates a larger trend in data-driven consumer demand for more information about the businesses they frequent, offering opportunities for other databases and consumer research companies to provide data-driven insights related to business quality and consumer preferences.
Industry Implications
1. Food Service and Hospitality - The integration of hygiene scorecards into Yelp reviews presents opportunities for restaurants and other food service businesses to prioritize cleanliness and hygiene practices as a key factor in customer satisfaction.
2. Technology and Review Platforms - The integration of hygiene scorecards into review platforms like Yelp presents an opportunity for other review platforms, technology companies, and startups to incorporate additional data-driven features and functionality into their products to enhance the customer experience.
3. Consumer Research and Data Analytics - The demand for and reliance on data-driven insights related to business quality and customer preferences is increasing, presenting opportunities for consumer research and data analytics companies to offer additional data-driven tools to businesses for improving their operations and identifying consumer trends.