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 analyze which eateries have been getting a noteworthy uptick in attention this month.
To find out who made the list, we first looked at Portland 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 extra hot, right now.
Big's Chicken
Open since 2017, this traditional American spot, which offers chicken wings and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "American (Traditional)" on Yelp.
Citywide, traditional American spots saw a median 1.5% increase in new reviews over the past month. Big's Chicken 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 traditional American category: Tik Tok has seen a 2.1% increase in reviews.
Located at 4606 N.E. Glisan St. in North Tabor, Big's Chicken serves up smoked wings tossed with dry spice; grilled chicken sandwiches with pickles and slaw; and veggie bowls with smoked mushrooms and chorizo-style cauliflower.
Big's Chicken is open from 11 a.m.–9 p.m. daily.
Arrowood
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Rose City Park's Arrowood, the cocktail bar, brewery and New American spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "American (New)" on Yelp saw a median 1.2% increase in new reviews over the past month, Arrowood appeared on Yelp relatively recently. Many new businesses struggle to gain reviews, but it has seen a surge of interest.
There's more that's trending on Portland's New American scene: Growler USA has seen a 4% increase in reviews, and Tasty n Daughters and The Goodfoot have seen 8.9 and 1.5% increases, respectively.
Open at 5846 N.E. Sandy Blvd. since October, Arrowood offers a variety of beer, wine and craft cocktails, as well as burgers, salads and soups.
Arrowood is open from 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m.–10 p.m. on weekends.
Trinket
Richmond's Trinket is also making waves. Open since 2013 at 2035 S.E. Cesar E Chavez Blvd., the popular cafe and breakfast and brunch spot, which offers sandwiches and more, has seen a 0.9% bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.4% for all businesses tagged "Breakfast & Brunch" on Yelp. As for foot traffic, Trinket saw visits double over the past month, according to SafeGraph data.
There's more than one hot spot trending in Portland's breakfast and brunch category: Joule Crafted Nutrition has seen a 2.4% increase in reviews, and Sesame Donuts has seen a 3.6% bump.
The breakfast spot offers classics like biscuits and gravy, as well as duck eggs Benedict, huevos al pastor and peach waffles.
Over the past month, it's maintained a healthy 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
Trinket is open from 8 a.m.–2:30 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m.–3:30 p.m. on weekends.
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.
