Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
Study Sees Racial Bias In Yelp Reviews
By
Nell Casey
Published Nov 12, 2015
Modified Nov 12, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Nell Casey
Published Nov 12, 2015
Modified Nov 12, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Yelpers are fundamentally the worst but are they also a bunch of racists? A study by researchers at CUNY concluded that Yelpers felt "negative" about traditionally black neighborhoods when compared to traditionally white neighborhoods in a comparison between reviews of Bed-Stuy restaurants versus Greenpoint restaurants. City Lab has an interesting breakdown on the study.
Researchers Sharon Zukin, Scarlett Lindeman and Laurie Hurson whittled down a sampling of 7,000 reviews of both the trendiest and top reviewed traditional restaurants of both neighborhoods, eventually focusing in on 1056 reviews that explicitly stated the neighborhood in which the restaurant was located. They discovered that Yelpers were twice as likely to mention Bed-Stuy when reviewing a restaurant and three times as likely to use the neighborhood when describing a trendy restaurant in Bed-Stuy over one in Greenpoint.
Even more troubling was the common language used to describe both restaurants and the neighborhoods in which they were situated. Greenpoint eateries were commonly referred to as "cozy...European...authentic" while Bed-Stuy was described as "dangerous...sketchy...hood...ghetto." Yelp reviewers "show marked preferences in terms of race," the study found, noting that "far more reviewers draw attention to the urban locale when the majority of residents are Black."
And while reviewers expressed concern about gentrification in predominantly white Greenpoint, trendy restaurants in predominantly black Bed-Stuy were heralded as "the kind of place Bed-Stuy needs." Of course "hipsters" play a role in the study, too.
"Intentionally or not, Yelp restaurant reviewers may encourage, confirm, or even accelerate processes of gentrification by signaling that a locality is good for people who share their tastes," the researchers deduced. Yelp: the harbinger of gentrification.
[h/t GrubStreet.]
Tagged
bed stuy
gentrification
greenpoint
race
yelp
Nell Casey
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.
By
Robert Sietsema
Published Oct 10, 2026
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Food
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
By
Sonia Rao
5 NYC banana puddings as good as Magnolia's
By
Hannah Frishberg
Where to eat in Greenpoint, Brooklyn right now, from Polish to Sichuan to Iberian
By
Robert Sietsema
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .