Yelp Has Added a Feature to Help Hungry Nerds Find Pokéstops

The unusual relationship between Pokémon Go and restaurants continues to grow, as players increasingly flock to restaurants where they can comfortably hang out, throw pokéballs and battle their creatures. Now, Yelp has gotten in on the craze, offering a new feature designed to aid trainers in their quest: a "Pokéstop Nearby" filter.

Just saw 40+ people outside of a restaurant that is usually empty. Asked if they were there because it was a Pokemon gym. I was right.

— Jacob Pebley (@Jacob_Pebley) July 10, 2016

Now Yelpers can search by desired food item (e.g. tacos) or cuisine, then narrow down the results by the ones located closest to a pokéstop (the real-world locations where players can snatch up free items like pokéballs, potions, berries to lure pokémon, and other supplements). The information is user-generated; when Yelpers check-in to a location, they answer a question prompt to identify whether it is near one of the stops.  " According to the company's blog post about the feature, "In just the past 24 hours, Yelpers have already identified thousands of PokéStops!"

San Francisco is particularly awash in pokéstops, given that the company's headquarters are located here, as well as the interest generated by the game. Some restaurants claim to have seen an increase in business as a result of the game's popularity.

Are you a restaurant owner or operator near a Pokéstop? We want to know how the Pokémon Go phenomenon is effecting your business. Let us know in the comments, or drop us a line.

Yelp just released its first new feature in 30 years and you’ll never guess what it is pic.twitter.com/YXv97rEdPm

— Casey Newton (@CaseyNewton) July 15, 2016