Yelp is celebrating 15 years and has provided some enlightening “bites” of data. We found a word cloud for San Jose. We discovered words that speak to hungry tech workers and their kin pining for their go-to comfort foods from their country of origin. Top of the list: South Indian, Super Burrito, Bo Hue, Tofu Soup, Clay Pot, Garlic Noodle, and Porridge. Lucky for all of us, all this great food is available in the Bay Area thanks to the demand generated by this demographic transformation.
For the first time in Silicon Valley’s history, Asian residents represent the largest population share (34 percent) living in the region. “The share of foreign-born residents (particularly from India and China) has increased by nearly three percentage points since 2009, reaching 38 percent in 2017 (compared to 27 percent in California and 14 percent in the US),” says the report.
The influx of Asian immigrants continues to flow into lucrative jobs in Silicon Valley, pushing out former residents and former food tastes. Silicon Valley’s food scene has transformed in response to its demographics. I’ll take a Banh Mi over a Subway sandwich any day.
Yelp word cloud.
