Americans are increasingly visiting malls to eat, rather than shop, new data reveals.
The Cheesecake Factory and newcomer Din Tai Fung have been named the top shopping center brands this year, according to an analysis by the reviews site. Yelp.
Casual dining and quick-service restaurants make up 17 of the top 25 shopping center brands, it found, with just a handful of home goods, clothing and beauty stores.
Classic ’90s movies like Mean Girls portrayed shopping malls as bustling hotbeds of teenage social life and shopping destinations.
But now it seems that food and dining are becoming an anchor for mall visits, rather than an afterthought after a long day of shopping.
The data also showed that the number of food and restaurant businesses in U.S. malls is growing, with locations increasing 7 percent between 2019 and 2024.
Americans are increasingly visiting malls to eat, rather than shop, new data reveals.
Known for its extensive menu and delicious cheesecakes, The Cheesecake Factory, with its cult following, tops the list.
Din Tai Fung, a newer, premium Taiwanese restaurant that has received praise for having “the best dumplings in the world,” came in first place, Yelp said.
The business has become a staple for food influencers and has increasingly relied on malls as a way to grow.
In third place, however, is the top retail brand: Macy’s.
The department store chain remains among the most popular mall brands, according to Yelp, despite announcing earlier this year that it would close 150 underperforming stores over the next three years, with 50 closing by the end of 2024.
To identify the most popular brands, Yelp ranked brands with a minimum of 10 active mall locations based on ‘consumer interest’ between September 2023 and August 2024.
Consumer interest includes actions such as searching for a business, viewing its Yelp page, or posting a photo or review of a place.
The rest of the top ten are BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse, True Food Kitchen, Starbucks, Olive Garden, Target, California Pizza Kitchen and Panera Bread.
The Cheesecake Factory has been named the best shopping center brand this year, according to an analysis by review site Yelp.
Known for its extensive menu and delicious cheesecakes, The Cheesecake Factory, with its cult following, is the top shopping center brand in 2024.
Other retailers like Nordstrom Rack remain popular, but clothing stores are no longer the main draw for mall visits.
“Beauty companies Sephora and Ulta Beauty also serve as after-dinner stops, especially for Gen Z,” Yelp said.
Among the top 20 shopping mall brands, AMC Cinema is the only brand in the “arts and entertainment” category.
When it comes to the fastest-growing category of businesses opening in malls, bubble tea is by far the winner, according to the analysis.
Over the past five years, stores selling the tea-based beverage, which originated in Taiwan in the 1980s, have grown by a staggering 113 percent.
Bubble Tea businesses are the fastest-growing mall openings in the past five years, Yelp found.
Classic ’90s movies like Mean Girls portrayed shopping malls as bustling hotbeds of teenage social life and a shopping destination.
Din Tai Fung has become a staple for food influencers and has increasingly relied on shopping malls as a way to grow.
Other favorite dishes have also seen significant increases over the same period, including waffles (up 77 percent), vegan food, which is up 54 percent, and Filipino food, which is up 36 percent.
But second in the rankings when it comes to the fastest-growing business category in shopping centers is virtual reality centers.
These centers, where people can experience virtual reality gaming and other immersive experiences like virtual reality golf, are becoming increasingly popular in shopping centers across the country.
“As shopping centers continue to evolve, the integration of dining and entertainment will likely play an increasingly important role in their success,” Yelp said.
