From now on, Yelp will ask its users to share their experiences regarding a business’s adherence to health and safety guidelines, in addition to traditional feedback about food quality and payment options. This includes whether employees are wearing face coverings and if social distancing protocols are being followed.

According to Akhil Kuduvalli Ramesh, Yelp’s consumer product lead, this represents the next step in the company’s efforts to support local businesses. Previous initiatives included enabling businesses to promote virtual services, manage wait times according to current rules, and display the safety precautions they are implementing.

Ramesh explained that while businesses can state their safety procedures, it’s valuable for customers to confirm these practices are actually in place. The goal isn’t to discourage patronage, but rather “to build consumer confidence and encourage continued support for local businesses.”

When viewing a business’s profile, users will now be prompted to indicate whether social distancing was practiced and if staff members wore masks. Ramesh mentioned that additional health and safety questions may be added in the future, and users can provide more detailed feedback through the profile’s Edit function, though these two areas are currently of greatest interest.

Once Yelp gathers sufficient responses to provide reliable information (the specific number required has not been disclosed), it will display a message within the health and safety section of the profile. This message will state either “Social distancing enforced according to most users” accompanied by a green checkmark, or “Social distancing might not be enforced according to most users” with an orange question mark. Similar indicators will be used for mask usage.

If responses are varied, but a “significant” amount of feedback suggests that safety practices are not consistently followed, the message will be attributed to “some users.”

Ramesh stated that Yelp has already been collecting this user feedback, and at the initial rollout, only “a couple hundred” of the platform’s millions of listed businesses will receive an orange label, “indicating that many businesses are taking appropriate measures.”

He also pointed out that for businesses with multiple locations, health and safety data will be specific to each individual site. Furthermore, the labels will reflect feedback received within the past 28 days, allowing profiles to be updated as practices improve.

Yelp is also expanding the list of safety measures businesses can highlight on their profiles, including symptom checks for staff, the availability of disposable or contactless menus, and the provision of heated or covered outdoor seating.