Yelp adds searchable ‘veteran-owned’ tag for businesses

Dive Brief:

Yelp has added a searchable attribute that will allow restaurants and other businesses to self-identify as veteran-owned on their Yelp pages, the company announced Tuesday.
The new tag is free for business owners and can be selected by logging into Yelp for Business accounts.
Yelp has seen search rates for veteran-owned businesses in the U.S increase by 101% in Q3 2022 compared to the year-ago period.

Dive Insight:

This tag follows a string of Yelp attributes that were added over the past two years to allow businesses to self-identify as Black-owned, Asian-owned and LGBTQ-owned. The company also created environmentally friendly attributes earlier this year — such as “provides reusable tableware” and “bring your own container allowed” — that businesses can list on their pages.

Consumers will be able to see the veteran-owned tag on Yelp’s iOS and Android mobile apps under “more info” sections of business pages. On Yelp’s website, the tag is viewable under the “amenities and more” section. Owners who select the attribute will receive a free window decal to display on their storefronts in 2023. This attribute could help highlight a significant amount of business owners. Veteran-owned businesses made up about 5.9%, or over 337,000, of U.S. businesses as of 2019, per the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau on employer businesses.

Yelp has created a Veteran-owned Business Resource Hub to provide instructions and details for owners wanting to add the attribute to their Yelp pages. The hub provides additional resources, as well as “inspirational stories, and more context on how Yelp is highlighting veteran-owned businesses,” according to the press release. Yelp also launched the Veteran Business Fund to provide 10 veteran-owned, small U.S. businesses with $10,000 each. Eligible business owners can apply through Nov. 11.

Yelp has been updating both the restaurant-facing and consumer-facing sides of its platform over the last few years. In 2021, the company launched Yelp Guest Manager, which combines its front-of-house and off-premise products in one business suite. Several weeks later, Yelp updated its home feed to provide more visual content from local restaurants, including popular dishes, consumer photos and restaurant updates.