As fans of cronuts and cake pops can attest, food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending today?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp and SafeGraph, a dataset of commercial points of interest and their visitor patterns, to uncover which eateries have been in the spotlight this month.
To find out who made the list, we first looked at San Antonio businesses on Yelp by category and counted how many reviews each received. Rather than compare them based on number of reviews alone, we calculated a percentage increase in reviews over the past month, and tracked businesses that consistently increased their volume of reviews to identify statistically significant outliers compared to past performance. Then we analyzed foot traffic data from SafeGraph to validate the trends.
Read on to see which spots are on a hot streak this autumn.
The South Chicken & Waffles
Open since 2017, this well-established Cajun/Creole spot, which serves breakfast, brunch and lunch, as well as dinner some nights, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp.
Citywide, breakfast and brunch spots saw a median 2.5% increase in new reviews over the past month, but The South Chicken & Waffles saw a 6.4% increase, maintaining a sound four-star rating throughout. According to SafeGraph foot traffic data, visits to The South Chicken & Waffles increased by more than 50% over the past month.
It's not the only trending outlier in the breakfast and brunch category: La Panaderia has seen a 2.8% increase in reviews, and Chicago Bagel & Deli and Panchos and Gringos have seen 2 and 1.1% increases, respectively.
Located at 5739 Callaghan Road, Suite 100, in Rolling Ridge Club, The South Chicken & Waffles offers affordable fine dining in a casual setting, with a menu that features made-from-scratch, Southern-style cuisine. Highlights include a catfish po'boy, a pork chop sandwich, oxtails and grits, gumbo and chicken and waffles.
The South Chicken & Waffles is open from 9 a.m.–3 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday and 9 a.m.–9 p.m. on Thursday-Saturday. (It's closed on Monday.) According to SafeGraph, it's usually busiest at 11 a.m., noon and 1 p.m., and people visit The South Chicken & Waffles most on Saturdays and Sundays, so go on Thursdays if you want to avoid the rush.
Cabo Bob's Burritos
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Cabo Bob's Burritos, the popular Mexican chain restaurant is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Mexican" on Yelp saw a median 3.2% increase in new reviews over the past month, Cabo Bob's Burritos bagged a 21.4% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a superior 4.5-star rating.
There's more that's trending on San Antonio's Mexican scene: Beto's Alt-Mex has seen a 1.6% increase in reviews.
Open at 847 N.E. Loop 410 since June, Cabo Bob's Burritos specializes in salads, tacos and burritos. Catering services are also available.
Cabo Bob's Burritos is open from 10:30 a.m.–9 p.m. on Monday-Saturday. (It's closed on Sunday.)
The Rustic
The Rustic is also making waves. Open at 17619 La Cantera Parkway, Suite 204, since 2017, the well-established Southern spot and music venue has seen a 6.5% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2% for all businesses tagged "American (New)" on Yelp. Moreover, The Rustic's review count increased by more than 280% on a month-to-month basis.
There's more than one hot spot trending in San Antonio's New American category: Twin Peaks has seen a 5.4% increase in reviews.
The Rustic offers sophisticated comfort foods, such as cactus fritters, wild boar meatballs, Texas quail, pork chops, steak and tacos. Over the past month, it's maintained a mixed 3.5-star rating among Yelpers. Check out the full calendar of events here.
The Rustic, one of three locations, is open from 11 a.m.–midnight on Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.–2 a.m. on Friday, 10 a.m.–2 a.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m.–midnight on Sunday.
This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed and augmented by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.
