As fans of cronuts and cake pops can attest, food trends come and go. So, how can you tell which tastes are trending this very moment?
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 deduce which local businesses have been most discussed this month.
To find out who made the list, we first looked at Denver 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 outposts are extra cool, right now.
Wolf's Tailor
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Sunnyside's Wolf's Tailor, the New American bistro is a hot topic, according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp saw a median 1.4% increase in new reviews over the past month, Wolf's Tailor bagged a 21.2% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a sound four-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 5.5 times more reviews than expected, based on its past performance.
There's even more trending in Denver's New American cuisine scene: Woodie Fisher has seen a 21.3% increase in reviews, and Briar Common Brewery + Eatery has seen a 5.1% bump.
Open at 4058 Tejon St., the restaurant features a menu that changes on a daily basis, with a selection of small and large plates, along with various pasta dishes and savory bites on a stick.
Wolf's Tailor is open from 5:30 p.m.–10:30 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday. (It's closed on Monday and Tuesday.)
Devour the 303
Platt Park's Devour the 303 is the city's buzziest breakfast and brunch outlet by the numbers.
The well-established traditional American restaurant can be found at 1135 E. Evans Ave. and increased its new review count by 10.6% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.6% for the Yelp category "Breakfast & Brunch." It outperformed the previous month by gaining 2.5 times more reviews than expected, based on past performance.
The restaurant offers separate menus for brunch, lunch and dinner, with dishes such as fish tacos, habanero steak hash, cauliflower wings, avocado toast, grilled salmon, fajitas and truffle asparagus pasta.
Devour the 303 is open from 11 a.m.–10 p.m. on weekdays, 9 a.m.–10 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m.–9 p.m. on Sunday.
Hive Garden Bistro
Cheesman Park's Hive Garden Bistro is currently on the upswing in the traditional American category on Yelp.
While businesses categorized as "American (Traditional)" on Yelp saw a median 1.9% increase in new reviews over the past month, this traditional American spot increased its new reviews by 6.7% — and kept its rating consistent at four stars. Visits to Hive Garden Bistro increased by more than 50% over the same time frame, according to SafeGraph's foot traffic data.
There's more abuzz in the world of Denver traditional American fare: Blake Street Tavern has seen a 2.7% increase in reviews.
Open for business at 1005 York St., within Denver Botanic Gardens, the bistro's menu offers green chili cheeseburgers, Mediterranean pita sandwiches, roasted beet salads and wood-fired pizzas in a garden setting.
Hive Garden Bistro is open from 10 a.m.–8 p.m. daily. According to SafeGraph, foot traffic is heaviest on Saturdays and Sundays, and it attracts a quarter of its total visitors over those two days, with a slowdown on Mondays.
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.
