Zachary Witaszek's questions to Yelp Inc (YELP) leadership • Q2 2025
Question
Zachary Witaszek of Baird, on for Colin Sebastian, asked for an update on competitive pressures in the restaurant category and for any early learnings from the expansion of Yelp Assistant.
Answer
COO Jed Nachman stated that the primary pressure on the Restaurant, Retail & Other (RR&O) category remains macroeconomic uncertainty and inflation, rather than a change in competitive dynamics. CEO Jeremy Stoppelman added that the company is hopeful the cross-category expansion of Yelp Assistant will boost engagement in frequency categories like restaurants by enabling highly specific, conversational searches. He also noted the potential to offer this functionality via an API to emerging AI search players who need trusted local content.