Dave’s Hot Chicken Is Yelp’s Most Loved Brand Of 2025

The year is almost at an end, and in keeping with Yelp’s tradition of highlighting great businesses, it has unveiled 2025’s Most Loved Brands. The brands included are ones that, despite there being a decrease in dining out, have continued to deliver consistency, value, and a worthwhile customer experience for Yelp’s millions of users. 

To determine which brands people love the most, Yelp analyzed a range of consumer behaviors, including the average rating, repeat page views, photo uploads, search volume, and reviews. In the end, it was decided that Dave’s Hot Chicken is 2025’s Most Loved Brand.

Founded by friends in 2017 in a Los Angeles parking lot, Dave’s specializes in Nashville-style hot chicken and is known for its tongue-tingling tenders, sliders, and crave-worthy shakes and slushers. Fueled by rapid expansion and a cult following, Dave’s went from one of America’s fastest growing restaurants to being acquired for $1 billion earlier this year. 

In addition to being named Yelp’s 2025 Most Loved Brand, it also landed at number two on Yelp’s 2025 Top Chicken Sandwich Chains list and number 28 on its 2025 Fastest Growing Brands list. According to Yelp’s data, 71% of Dave’s Hot Chicken reviews are 4 or 5 stars, which is one of the highest review distributions of any brand this year.

“In a year defined by price sensitivity, earning customer loyalty is more important than ever. Customers count on businesses to deliver their favorite menu items as expected or to complete services reliably every time. This dedication to quality sets the Most Loved Brands apart, driving great reviews and, most importantly, repeat visits. Every day, we see purchase-ready Yelp users reward outstanding experiences with positive feedback, and ongoing business. With millions of buying decisions made on our platform daily, Yelp’s data offers unique insight into the brands that keep customers coming back,” said Sarah Chang, Yelp’s vice president and head of enterprise sales. 

In terms of food, other restaurants that rounded out the top 10 include bb.q Chicken, which also has 71% of reviews that are 4 to 5 stars; the American breakfast, brunch and lunch chain First Watch, with 73% of its reviews at either 4 or 5 stars; In-N-Out Burger at 66%, BJ’s Restaurants at 60%, Texas Roadhouse at 57%, the Western US chain, Mountain Mike’s Pizza, at 63%, and Olive Garden with 58%.

The study also analyzed review sentiment for several popular topics across each brand, like food quality, taste, value, portion size, service, speed of service, wait experience, and cleanliness. In the end, Dave’s Hot Chicken, bb.q Chicken, and First Watch are the most loved brands in each region, while Texas Roadhouse and Cheesecake Factory are the most loved brands by each state.

For a detailed breakdown of Yelp’s study, click here.