Food “taste” on Yelp: displays of cultural omnivorousness and authenticity in dining choices and online reviews

Styles of consumption indicate social status. This study aims to understand the influence of external constraints on status displays via two consumption styles–cultural omnivorousness and authenticity. Using a large-scale dataset of Yelp restaurant reviews and the 2015 American Community Survey, we find evidence that the ease–travel distance, neighborhood wealth, and the availability of culturally unique and authentic restaurants–with which status can be obtained via a consumption strategy influences preference for that strategy. Though limited to observations at the neighborhood level, our findings provide corroboration for existing theories about 1) individuals’ motivations to display cultural omnivorousness and authenticity in online review sites, and 2) the ways that these status displays are motivated by availability. Findings also indicate that while new media increase the access to information about cultural products, status display appears to have adapted to emphasize new scarcities, particularly localized knowledge.