Rochester’s New Dave’s Hot Chicken Named Yelp’s Brand of the Year

If you’re like me, the end of the year means two things: counting down to the holidays… and counting down every “Best of 2025” list the internet can throw at us.

Restaurants, shows, snacks, stores, music - you name it, someone ranked it. But the one list everyone’s buzzing about this week? Yelp’s Top 10 Most Loved Brands of 2025.

And yes… before you even ask, it’s basically a list full of food. Apparently, we all agree that nothing beats a solid plate of chicken, pizza, or carbs done right.

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So what brand earned the top spot? What place do people love so much it beat out every other national favorite this year? Before we get there, let’s take a look at the rest of the list.

Here are Yelp’s Top 10 Most Loved Brands of 2025. I apologize in advance for making you drool over these pictures. ;)

10. Olive Garden

9. Mountain Mike’s Pizza

8. Texas Roadhouse

7. Nothing Bundt Cakes

6. BJ’s Restaurants

5. In-N-Out Burger

4. First Watch

3. bb.q Chicken

2. Trader Joe’s

Yelp’s 2025 “Most Loved Brand” rankings point to a pretty clear winner, with the top spot standing out for generous portions, fast service, high-quality food, and spice levels you can actually customize.

The Rochester location already holds a 4.8-star rating with more than 1,100 reviews, which is impressive for a spot that hasn’t even been open that long. Safe to say, it didn’t take long for locals to latch on.

So which restaurant took the crown as Yelp’s best brand of 2025? … a brand that’s become a full-on Rochester favorite: Dave’s Hot Chicken.

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