Yelp AI Menu Scanner: See What Your Food Looks Like

Yelp Enhances Platform with New AI-Driven Features

Multiple AI-powered enhancements are being rolled out by Yelp on Tuesday. These updates include an improved AI assistant capable of responding to inquiries regarding restaurants, bars, local points of interest, and retail establishments.

A novel feature is also being introduced, enabling users to scan physical menus to access detailed information about individual dishes.

Improved Search Capabilities

Yelp is refining its search functionality to accommodate natural language and voice queries. This allows for more intuitive interactions with the platform.

Furthermore, popular offerings are now being prominently displayed on business pages, encompassing a wide range of services such as auto shops, hair salons, clothing stores, and parks.

Expanding the AI Assistant

Last year saw the launch of an AI-powered assistant designed to connect users with appropriate service providers by understanding their described issues.

Now, Yelp is extending this technology to answer questions about diverse business types, including restaurants, bars, attractions, and retailers. The assistant leverages data from business pages, websites, reviews, and images to formulate responses.

For example, users can inquire about the animal species present at a particular zoo.

Streamlined Questioning and Personalized Recommendations

To simplify the process, Yelp is presenting pre-written questions on business pages, based on frequently asked topics, eliminating the need for manual typing.

The assistant for service-related inquiries will now retain user preferences, delivering tailored recommendations for future projects.

Conversational Search and Popular Item Highlighting

Users can now input questions using everyday language directly into the search bar, with the app supporting these conversational queries via voice search.

Previously focused on popular dishes and drinks, Yelp is now extending the highlighting of popular items to include desserts at food establishments.

This feature is also being broadened to encompass over 100 different business categories, showcasing the most frequently mentioned services – such as popular haircuts or coloring treatments at salons – in a dedicated “most mentioned” section.

AI-Powered Menu Exploration

A new AI-driven feature assists diners in exploring menu options. By scanning a physical menu with their smartphone camera, users will see on-screen bubbles appear over different dishes.

Tapping a bubble reveals photos of the dish and diner reviews.

Adapting to the Evolving Search Landscape

These new features aim to make search more visual and conversational.

In response to the growing popularity of chat-style search tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity, established companies like Google have also integrated similar functionalities into their search and Maps platforms to facilitate the discovery of new locations.

AI Tools for Businesses

Earlier in the year, Yelp previewed AI-powered voice agents for restaurants and service businesses.

These tools are now available, with the AI host for restaurants capable of managing bookings, answering questions, accommodating special requests, and modifying reservations.

The AI receptionist for service businesses can collect project details, qualify leads, and deliver call summaries to the business’s Yelp inbox.

Competitors like Square and Kea are also offering AI-powered voice solutions for restaurants and order management.

Additional Fall Release Features

Alongside these updates, Yelp is launching several additional features this fall.

• AI-generated videos compiling user photos and providing narration about restaurants and bars.
• Expanded video upload limits (from 10 to 30 seconds).
• A new visual summary of restaurants and bars utilizing photos and videos.
• Grouped before-and-after photos for service businesses.
• A dedicated section for planning future projects.