As fans of cronuts and cake pops can attest, food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending right this minute?
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 discover which local businesses have been getting outsized notice this month.
To find out who made the list, we first looked at Austin 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 worth exploring this winter.
Provision
Open since September, this steakhouse, gastropub and New American spot is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp.
Citywide, New American spots saw a median 1.5% increase in new reviews over the past month. Provision only recently appeared on Yelp, but while many new businesses struggle to gain reviews, it has seen strong initial popularity.
It's not the only trending outlier in the New American category: Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille has seen a 15.7% increase in reviews, and District Kitchen has seen a 14.7% bump.
Located at 4200 W. Braker Lane, Suite B, Provision offers gourmet sandwiches and hamburgers, salads, charcuterie boards, chicken wings and steaks.
Provision is open from 11 a.m.–10 p.m. daily.
SPIN Austin
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about downtown Austin's SPIN Austin, the cocktail bar, sports club and traditional American spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "Cocktail Bars" on Yelp saw a median 2.3% increase in new reviews over the past month, SPIN Austin bagged a 5.9% increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a superior four-star rating. According to SafeGraph foot traffic data, visits to SPIN Austin increased by more than 50% in the past month.
Open at 213 W. Fifth St., SPIN Austin offers small plates like crispy shrimp bar buns, veggie tacos and a vermicelli noodle bowl. The lunch menu features salads and its signature burger topped with Texas cheddar, onion, tomato, greens, a house pickle and mayo.
SPIN Austin is open from noon–midnight on Monday-Thursday, noon–1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday and noon–10 p.m. on Sunday. According to SafeGraph, it's usually busiest at 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., and people visit SPIN Austin most on Fridays and Wednesdays, with a slowdown on Sundays.
First Watch
Allandale's First Watch, a franchise of the popular chain, is also making waves. Open since June at 2525 W. Anderson Lane, Building 3, Suite 140, the well-established cafe and breakfast and brunch and traditional American spot has seen a 1.5% increase in new reviews over the last month — matching that of all businesses tagged "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp — but has maintained a solid four-star rating among Yelpers.
There's more than one hot spot trending in Austin's breakfast and brunch category: Nervous Charlie's has seen a 5.7% increase in reviews.
Besides comfort foods, First Watch offers also offers healthy options that include fresh fruit crepes, quinoa power bowls and fresh juices. (View the menu.)
First Watch is open from 7 a.m.–2:30 p.m. daily.
Gourmands Neighborhood Pub
Central East Austin's Gourmands Neighborhood Pub is the city's buzziest sandwich spot by the numbers.
The popular pub, which offers sandwiches, salads and more and opened at 2316 Webberville Road, increased its new review count by 0.4% over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.8% for the Yelp category "Sandwiches." According to SafeGraph foot traffic data, visits to Gourmands Neighborhood Pub increased by more than 50% over the past month.
Gourmands Neighborhood Pub also offers a chicken Caesar salad with house-made dressing and appetizers like double decker nachos and a spinach and artichoke dip served in a bread bowl with tortilla chips on the side.
Gourmands Neighborhood Pub is open from 7 a.m.–midnight on Monday-Thursday, 7 a.m.–2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m.–midnight on Sunday. According to SafeGraph, it's usually busiest at 12 p.m., 1 p.m. and 9 p.m., and people visit Gourmands Neighborhood Pub most on Saturdays and Thursdays, with a slowdown on Wednesdays.
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.
