I think it is a result of the five star rating system -- a vast majority of the businesses fall between a 4 and a 4.5 star rating.  Perhaps a binary rating system is a better forcing mechanism to determine quality?<p>But since we&#x27;re stuck with the five star system...here is how I leverage Yelp review data when it comes to selecting a small business to patronize:<p>1. Normalize for the true Yelp rating scale of 4 - 4.5 stars.  Filter out anything below a 4 star rating.  If a small business is unable achieve 4 stars on Yelp, then something must be really wrong.<p>2. Quantity of reviews is important.  For starters, you need a significant sample size of review data for the star rating to be meaningful.  Further on the review quantity front: massive review numbers relative to other similar businesses in that given city is a good signal of popularity (though not necessarily quality).<p>3. You need to supplement your Yelp findings from points 1 and 2 with other sources, ideally critical reviews (e.g. Eater, Serious Eats, Time Out, NY Times, Chicago Mag, etc).<p>4. The content of individual Yelp reviews should be taken with a grain of salt.  Your individual priorities and tastes might be radically different so there is limited value in an individual&#x27;s rating.  I&#x27;ve come across some truly great restaurants with 1-star reviews because the reviewer tried to dine at the restaurant on a Monday...when it was closed.