California loves this restaurant so much, Yelp says it’s the state’s most loved brand
Californians can’t seem to get enough of this American-Italian restaurant chain that’s known for its “never-ending” breadsticks, soups and salads, according to Yelp.
Yelp released a list of “the 50 most loved brands in the U.S.” April 13 and highlighted which of those brands ranked as the most popular in every state.
In California, Olive Garden ranked No. 1.
“While New York is on a health kick with Smoothie King, Californians prefer their food comfortable and their breadsticks unlimited at Olive Garden (no. 15), the brand du jour for the Golden State,” Yelp said in its blog post.
The restaurant chain has more than 800 locations in the country, but Olive Garden wasn’t a top choice in any other state.
The national ranking list is made up of the 50 most loved restaurants, food and retail brands. Trader Joe’s ranked No. 1 for the overall list, followed by Nothing Bundt Cakes and Kung Fu Tea.
Olive Garden ranked 15th nationally.
Yelp reviewers said these brands stood out because of the “affordable prices, generous portions and quality ingredients,” according to the blog post.
The brands also have loyal fans and communities, Yelp said.
How Yelp determined most loved brands
To determine the top 50 loved brands, Yelp looked at restaurant, food and retail brands that have more than 200 locations across at least 25 states.
The brands had to have more than 500 reviews, with “at least one review for every two locations in 2022.”
These brands were then ranked on a “loyalty score,” which was determined from the “brands’ 2022 review rating along with the percentage of business page views by returning visitors.”
To find the most loved brands by state, Yelp then looked at the 50 brands included in the national ranking, and reviewed the “brands’ loyalty score in each state related to the national level and filtered by number of locations per brand per state.”
The brand needed a minimum number of locations to be “considered.”
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