The Yelp data gave a snapshot of the current food landscape, which depicted the chosen SF neighborhoods fairly accurately. Ultimately, the data proved that food is very much a powerful indicator of a community. The Mission was dominated with Mexican cuisine, Chinatown with Chinese and Dimsum, and the Marina had more “high-class” foods like Italian and Bistro cuisines. Although that might be slightly predictable, what was interesting was how affordability and health quality also aligned strongly with the wealth of the neighborhood.
On the other hand, the open data on health inspection scores gave information on how the food landscape has changed over the past several years, particularly in quality. According to the data, there has been an increase in higher quality restaurants in specific neighborhoods in San Francisco. Neighborhoods such as Financial District and and Marina/Cow Hollow have higher restaurant inspection scores that other neighborhoods such as Bayview Hunters Point and Chinatown. The Mission experienced a significant increase in scores over the past few years, which aligns with the gentrification that has been happening in the area. With an increase of millennial and large technological employers moving into the San Francisco, much of the cuisines, food cultures and food quality has changed. The demand of quality food from affluent individuals leads to an increased supply of high end and quality foods and a decrease of mom-and-pop shops as well as “hole in the walls” that have lower inspection rates. In recent years, the higher quality restaurants are correlated with the higher income and higher housing priced neighborhoods.
Although results show an association between food and the city, there are many limitations. Were this analysis to continue, I would look further back to see how the food landscape has changed over the past decades rather than the past couple years. Data availability was also a limitation—in future iterations of the analysis, I would look at the timing of restaurant openings and closings to model restaurant turnover and its relation to the wealth and well-being of a community.