Kelley Farm Kitchen: Women-Owned Vegan Restaurant Bags First Place In Yelp’s Best Places To Eat 2021

A women-owned vegan restaurant in the U.S. state of West Virginia has been named the top place to eat this year, according to a new ranking compiled by the review platform Yelp. Among some of the dishes served at Kelley Farm Kitchen are Instagram-worthy stacked plant-based burgers, colourful creamy ramen bowls, jackfruit tuna melts and avocado rose salads. 

In yet another show of the unstoppable vegan trend, Kelley Farm Kitchen in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, has been named Yelp’s best place to eat in 2021 on its annual top 100 list. Since opening its doors in 2018, the women-led vegan restaurant has gained a popular following for its wide array of crave-worthy plant-based bites, from jackfruit tuna melt sandwiches to chilli cheese dogs, tacos, stacked burgers, JUST Egg omelettes, colourful buddha bowls, rice paper rolls – you name it.

Kelley Farm Kitchen even serves a range of desserts and freshly baked goods, including vegan cinnamon rolls, pineapple tea cake and vegan melt-in-your-mouth cookies. 

In the last several years, we’ve seen interest in vegan foods as well as a support for women-owned businesses rise.

Yelp

The annual list on Yelp is compiled by data scientists using the platform’s user community submissions, as well as ratings, reviews and volume of submissions with consideration to geographic representation across the U.S. Further curation of the list was refined by experts and community managers to finalise the results, in what the platform describes as a “collaborative and passion-driven” ranking. 

Searches for women-owned businesses were up 2,739% in 2020, compared to 2019, and mentions of plant-based in reviews were up 26% for the same time period.

Yelp

Yelp’s experts said that Kelley Farm Kitchen not only won top place because of its vegan food – which is a huge trend taking over the U.S. and countries all over the world – but also because it is a women-run restaurant, leading the way in yet another social issue that has dominated headlines: diversity and inclusion. 

“This year’s number one spot, Kelley Farm Kitchen, is a women-owned vegan restaurant. In the last several years, we’ve seen interest in vegan foods as well as a support for women-owned businesses rise,” wrote the platform. 

It’s clear that diners are looking for a wider variety of restaurants that can accommodate a range of dietary preferences and lifestyles.

Tara Lewis, Trend Expert, Yelp

“Searches for women-owned businesses were up 2,739% in 2020, compared to 2019, and mentions of plant-based in reviews were up 26% for the same time period.” 

Yelp also noted that this year, there were far more vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants who made the list, in a true testament to the growing demand and popularity of plant-based eating. Speaking to VegNews about the results, Yelp trend expert Tara Lewis said that “nearly half of the businesses on the top 100 list identif[ied] themselves as vegan or providing vegan menu options”. 

“It’s clear that diners are looking for a wider variety of restaurants that can accommodate a range of dietary preferences and lifestyles,” Lewis continued. “And with Kelley Farm Kitchen taking the number one spot, Yelpers have spoken that they are seeking out and rating vegan restaurants on the platform more than ever before.” 

All images courtesy of Kelley Farm Kitchen.